Comet Linear July 7,July

Comet Linear 2000

7, 2000

Panspermia- “seeds
everywhere”
Theory of origin of life

Cometary and meteoritic matter falling on Earth may have provided the
prebiotic material needed for life. The water in the oceans may have had a
similar origin, since the high D/H ratio found on Earth and Mars far exceeds tha
of the Sun and giant planets, and is only matched by that of the comets.
 MD. QUSSEN AKHTAR
CSIR-UGC(NET) –JRF, CIMAP-JNU Ph. D
Biotechnology Division,
CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF MEDICINAL AND
AROMATIC PLANTS (CIMAP),
PICNIC SPOT ROAD, KUKRAIL LUCKNOW,
U.P. 226015
email:
qussen10@yahoo.co.in
qussen10@gmail.com
site:  http://sites.google.com/site/qussen10/

http://meteorites.asu.edu/images/education/allend
e-big.jpg
“The face on Mars”
What is Life?
• Common features:
– reacts to environment
– metabolism (draws
energy from
environment)
– Reproduction

• Life on Earth
– Based on complex
chemistry of carbon
– Fundamental building
blocks are amino
acids
– Small compounds
containing C, O, H, N, S
– It seems unlikely that
life can be based on
significantly different
chemistry
 Life on Earth
• When did life arise on
Earth?
• How did life arise on Earth?
• What are the necessities of
life?
 Green Bank (or
Drake)
Estimated number Equation
of technological
civilizations present in the Milky
Way galaxy is given by

the average rate of star formation

 fraction of stars having
planetary systems  average
number of planets within the
habitable zone for various types of
star and star system  fraction of
habitable planets that develop
life fraction of life-bearing planets
on which intelligence appears 
fraction of intelligent life forms that
develop technology  average
lifetime of a technological
civilization

Could be 100 to 1 billion (?)

When did life arise on
Earth?
Earliest Life Forms Use of Carbon isotope ratios to
identify evidence of life in rocks
Life probably arose on
Earth more than 3.85 • Isotopes: Atoms with the same
billion years ago, shortly number of protons in the nucleus
after the end of the late (the same element), but different
heavy bombardment numbers of neutrons.
• Normally, carbon-13 (C-13, with
Evidence comes from atomic weight 13), is much rarer
carbon isotopes than C-12.
There is still contraversy • Biological processes concentrate C-
about age of earliest life 12, so when organic debris falls to
on Earth the ocean floor, the C-12 to C-13
ratio rises still further in the
Hard to date the rock in
sedimentary rock that forms.
which the carbon is
embedded • That ratio is preserved even in rocks
so old that their fossils have been
ground up and destroyed.
 Earliest Fossils in Sedimentary Rock
are from ~3.5 billion years ago

Relative ages: deeper layers formed earlier.

Absolute ages: radiometric dating (isotope ratios)
 Fossils in Sedimentary
Rock

Rock layers of Grand

Canyon record 2 billion
years of Earth’s history
 Earliest Fossils
Oldest fossils show that bacteria-like
organisms were present over 3.5
billion years ago
Photo: cyanobacteria agglomorated
together in big stromatolites

Origin of Life on Earth
• Did it come from
somewhere else?
– Panspermia
• Or did it form here on
Earth
– Chemical reactions to
create building blocks of
Is Life on Earth…
a) A miracle?
b) An accident?
c) More-or-less inevitable
given the laws of physics
and chemistry, and suitable
conditions?
Principle of Mediocrity:
There’s nothing special
about the astronomical,
geological, physical and
chemical circumstances on
Earth; most likely nothing
 Could life have migrated to Earth?
Venus, Earth, Mars have exchanged tons of rock (blasted into orbit
by impacts)
Some microbes can survive many years in space...
Theory that life came from beyond Earth is called “Panspermia” -
“life everywhere”
Panspermia- “seeds everywhere”
ü Life came from space on comets
ü Hydrocarbons, amino acids, water(s) and bacteria
ü September 28, 1969 Murchison, Australia
ü Meteorite shower fell
v Analysis determined it was carbon rich
Ø Organic compounds

Ø Many of the protein Amino Acids found in biological

systems
The theory states that after they arrive safely from
space, they became protein from amino acids and
eventually life (if not already). They would then grow
and reproduce, possibly in a warm pond/ocean or
Life from Meteors: Panspermia
“In the early twentieth century, a Swedish chemist named
Svente Arrhenius developed a theory called panspermia.
Arrhenius' theory accounted for life's origins by simply stating
that life did not originate on the Earth, but originated elsewhere
in the universe. He believed that cellular life reached the Earth
hiding inside a meteor which hit the Earth long ago. Newly
uncovered evidence suggests that this might be possible.”
 The “seeding” of life on earth from an extraterrestrial
source (arrhenius, 1907)
 How it was proposed to work:
• Small organisms are present in the upper atmosphere of a
“source” planet.
• Small organisms could be blown out of the atmosphere and
into space by the pressure of sunlight.
• For this to work, organisms must be the size of bacteria,
spores, or viruses.
• Alternatively, an impact could have thrown organisms (maybe
inside rocks) into space.
 Is the “source” planet a nearby planet in our solar system (like mars or venus)
or a planet in another solar system?

Probably not a planet in another solar system because:

Trip to earth would take millions or billions of years, and during this time:
● Organisms would likely be eroded away by collisions with
gas and dust in space.
● Organisms would likely be killed by either ultraviolet light
from stars or cosmic rays.
Earth is so far from “source” planet that the chances of the organisms happening to
hit the earth are very small.
● Statistically, a large number of “source” planets are
required to provide earth with even one organism.
 Panspermia:
Sidney Leach spoke on the different theories of panspermia,
including the weak theory principally discussed at this
conference, which suggests that prebiotic material might have
seeded life on Earth.

Manfred Eigen whose work has elucidated the age of the genetic
code, felt that life cannot have originated either much before the
conditions for its initiation were there, and not much later. This
suggests that panspermia is not the source.

One might, however, counter that, if life were continually seeded,

a second generation might not be able to establish a foothold,
once life had already become established, just as L-amino acids
could stay dominant once firmly established.

Harry Kroto suggested a search for microorganisms on the Moon

as a useful test of the panspermia hypothesis.
 Is the “source” planet a nearby planet in our solar system (like mars or
venus) or a planet in another solar system?

Could possibly be a nearby planet in our solar system

• We know that rocks have been blasted off the surface of the moon,
mars, and venus by impacts, traveled through space, and landed as
meteorites on the earth.
• Trip to earth could take anywhere from a few years to a few million
years.
• Simple life form might be able to survive a trip of a few years.
*****************************************
Even more likely: simple organic molecules (but not actual
organisms) were delivered to the early earth via impacts of
comets and asteroids.
Panspermia Theory suggests
that life seeds came from outer
space and planets exchanged
life. Panspermia literally means
seeds everywhere.
Panspermia suggests that life
could have existed on another
planet and moved to Earth.
Statistics have showed 7.5% of
rocks from Mars reach Earth.
The rocks would travel between
less than 100 years to 16,000
years and more to get to
earth. 
Some of the proponents include
Sales Gyon de Montlivant, who
proposed life came from moon,
H.E. Richter, who suggested life
came from meteorites/comets,
and Svante Arrhenius, who
Evidence for Panspermia
1. Bacteria can survive harsh
environment of space
a.       Ultraviolet radiation
b.      Protons bombardments
c.       Cold
2.      Evidence that meteorites
contain life
a.      Amino acids (left handed
in helicity)
b.      Bacteria
c.       Carbon
d.      Protected inside rocks
3.      Bacteria can live for a long
time in sleeping state until
awakened
4.      Mars safer than Earth (less
bombardments and less gravity)
5.      Mars not as hot as Earth in
early development
6.      Mars had have had oxygen
back then when earth did not
 Different Scenarios of Panspermia

e began once, on Mars, and came to Earth in Martian meteorites. May or may not still
on Mars (amino acids or bacteria)

e originated on both Earth and Mars independently. Cross-colonization (cross-

zation) may subsequently have occurred (a.a. or bacteria)

e began once, on Earth, and was propagated to Mars, where it possibly established itself
or bacteria)

e originated on both Earth and Mars, but in spite of the exchange of rocks and dust, no
fer of viable organisms has occurred

e originated on neither Earth nor Mars, but somewhere else entirely, such as a comet,
er’s moon Europa, Venus, or body outside the Solar System altogether. It came to earth,
aps Mars too, via some sort of Panspermia mechanism (a.a. or bacteria)

e has originated on earth alone and has not (yet) successfully colonized another planet.
is, and always was, lifeless
There may be no pressing need for panspermia: Enzio Gallori pointed out
that DNA nucleotides can be assembled on clays and that adhesion to clay
surfaces can lead to preservation of DNA strands as well as their replication.

We also know that

some of the most
primitive organisms
are
hyperthermophiles.
Does this hint that
the first organisms
were bred in
volcanic vents?
 Comets: Dirty Snowballs
H2O with
100 CH4 lots
0.6 of organic

compounds
CO 1-20 C2H2 0.1
CO2 3-20 C2H6 0.3
H2CO 0.1-1 NH3 0.6

CH3OH 1-7 HCN 0.2

HCOOH 0.05 CH3CN 0.02
HNCO 0.1 HC3N 0.03
NH2CHO 0.01 H2S 1.5

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One of the strongest indications of non-local origin of life on Earth is from timing:

Immediately after Not much happening here! Why

Earth formation not, if the most difficult
& heavy bombardment!!!transition from non-life to life
was accomplished so easily?

A much more natural time-table would be this: accelerating evolution

Earth pre-biotic period: 1st cell multicell. Etc.
solidifies waiting for the 1st living cell to form
@
Origin of life: maybe even earlier than
4 Gyr ago
 Life cares about
Evidence for
Panspermia: Meteor (Atmospheric)
ALH84001 History
• “In 1996, a meteor was • Primary atmosphere:
found in Allan Hills, hydrogen, helium,
Antarctica. Upon methane, ammonia
examination, it was
discovered that this – Too light to “stick” to a
meteor, which is 4.5 planet unless it’s very
billion years old, fell to big  Jovian Planets
the earth 13,000 years • Secondary
ago, and possibly atmosphere: water,
contained evidence of CO2, SO2, …
life on Mars. Inside the
– Outgassed from planet
meteor, along
Atmospheric Histories tiny
interiors, a result of
cracks, scientists found
• Venus: run-away Greenhouse effect; CO2 could
volcanic not be
activity
evidence of what many
absorbed by water, rocks because of higher temperature
believe to be ancient
closer to sun
bacteria.“
• Mars: CO2 dissolves in liquid water; temperature drops below
freezing point (reverse greenhouse effect!); permafrost forms
with CO2 locked away
Hothouse Venus: 850 °F
 Water on Mars?
Mars Louisiana

Runoff channels
Outflow Channels
Life on Mars? Viking Lander
• Giovanni Schiaparelli (1877) – Experiments
observed “canali” (channels) on
Martian surface
(1976)
ü Search for bacteria-like
• Interpreted by Percival Lowell forms of life
üResults inconclusive at
(and others) as irrigation canals
– a sign of intelligent life best
• Lowell built a large observatory
near Flagstaff, AZ
(Incidentally, this enabled C.
Tombaugh to find Pluto in
1930)
• Speculation became more and
more fanciful
– A desert world with a planet-
wide irrigation system to
carry water from the polar
ice caps?
– Lots of sci-fi, including H.G.
Wells, Bradbury, …
Jupiter’s Galilean Moons
Click to edit Ma
Titan
Second
Titan is the only moon in thelevel
solar
● Third level
system known to have an
atmosphere ● Fourth lev

● Fifth lev
Life on Titan would be
methane-based

Europa
Europa might have
liquid water oceans
under the surface
 Life?
Bacterial spores

A highly resistant, resting phase displayed

by some types of bacteria.

Spores are formed in response to adverse

changes in the environment.

Original cell replicates its genetic material. One copy grows a tough coating. Outer
cell disintegrates, releasing spore which is now protected against a variety of
traumas, including extremes of heat and cold, and an absence of nutrients, water,
or air.
Panspermia, continued

The unmanned lunar probe Surveyor 3 soft-landed on the Moon in 1967.

In 1969, 2.5 yrs later, Apollo12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean
recovered the camera from Surveyor 3 and brought it back to Earth. The
insulation covering its circuit boards contained 50 to 100 viable
specimens of Streptococcus mitis, a harmless bacterium commonly
found in the human nose, mouth, and throat.

Conrad later commented: "I always thought the

most significant thing that we ever found on the whole Moon
was that little bacteria who came back and living and nobody
ever said anything about it."
 Reverse Panspermia

There is life on Earth, maybe it was

“exported” to other parts of the solar
system (Mars, Europa, Titan)
See Sky & Telescope January 2007: Is
Earth Contagious?
 Panspermia is not a dirty
word
Panspermia: the theory that life arrived on Earth
after it formed elsewhere, either within or out of the
Solar System. The spaceships were comets and
asteroids and the seeds were freeze-dried bacteria.
The Mars rock ALH84001 spurred a new interest in
panspermia. As Lou Frank once told me, "It's a
plausible theory but there are no data." However, we
can test panspermia by looking at amino acid ratios in
space, mining comets with microscopes looking for
bacteria, etc. For example, if STARDUST, a mission to
Comet Wild-2 comes back with comet bits that have
bacteria with left-handed amino acids, that would be
very good for panspermia.
 Life is so precious.

This deep-fried chicken head

was recently found in an
order of McDonalds
chicken wings.

Good thing she didn’t

order the pork chops.
THANK YOU