Second Genesis, Life 2.0

New Scientist has a nice article on so called Second Genesis. It means life created by humans in a lab. Essentially, that life would be synthetic life but life nevertheless.

New Scientist

It also mentions other forms of life and talks a little about the fact that it is possible that life started on earth twice, not once.

What do people here think about earth having a shadow biosphere that we have simply been unable to observe because we haven't known what to look for? For those of who unfamiliar with that term, it means life that evolved the second time on earth, possibly having no DNA and has forms unknown to us.

Entire article goes on for about 5-7 pages through the links, you should find them very intriguing to imagination, speculation and contain a lot of basic and a bit more advanced information laid out well. Go read, it's all good IMO.

"They couldn't detect an alternative form of microbial life," says Carol Cleland, a philosopher of science and astrobiologist at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Given that fewer than 1 per cent of microbes have been cultured and described, there is plenty of room for shadow life to be living right under our noses.

[edit on 12/3/09 by rawsom]

Well if abiogenesis happened then it would have happened plenty of times.

Yeah, I can agree with that.

If the basic building blocks for life can come together in the right pattern once, it can happen again... heck, we could have many independently formed life forms on earth.


Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Red Rain?

Perhaps it's from our environment after all.

I was thinking about red rain as well, but it has charasteristics unlike any other found on earth. Basically, it can tolerate space. I can see no reason for any organism developed on earth that could withstand such environment. There simply is no such environment that would require such charasteristics on earth, but space does.

That makes me debate that red rain originates from space, thus being extraterrestial in origin.

reply to post by Welfhard

Well if abiogenesis happened then it would have happened plenty of times.

Possibly. However, we know that all existing life descended from a single ancestor. Probably, the first life to form and replicate devoured all subsequent forms. One way or another, a single ancestral organism won out in the end.

This is also the reason why we don't see abiogenesis happening around us nowadays. Long before it gets to the stage of being self-reproducing, any sufficiently complicated organic molecule will be eaten.

Originally posted by Astyanax
reply to post by Welfhard

 

Well if abiogenesis happened then it would have happened plenty of times.

Possibly. However, we know that all existing life descended from a single ancestor.

Well, a single genetic ancestor. The first form didn't automatically have DNA, that was a later development.

Probably, the first life to form and replicate devoured all subsequent forms. One way or another, a single ancestral organism won out in the end.

Quite so, I'd imagine.

This is also the reason why we don't see abiogenesis happening around us nowadays. Long before it gets to the stage of being self-reproducing, any sufficiently complicated organic molecule will be eaten.

Well the conditions required for abiogenesis aren't exactly abundant. Those places where the conditions are present probably do get abiogenesis a lot, but that first form protocell would be just another resource to a hungry organism.

Interesting article - however not quite upto date - there are what as known as starter cells which can simply be injected with alternate dna - this is happening now - pick and choose creations.

The discussion here is focused on starting from scratch - chains of nickel acting in unison as a simple form of non biological life -

Originally posted by Astyanax
reply to post by Welfhard

 

Well if abiogenesis happened then it would have happened plenty of times.

Possibly. However, we know that all existing life descended from a single ancestor. Probably, the first life to form and replicate devoured all subsequent forms. One way or another, a single ancestral organism won out in the end.

This is also the reason why we don't see abiogenesis happening around us nowadays. Long before it gets to the stage of being self-reproducing, any sufficiently complicated organic molecule will be eaten.

so via your theory here.. abiogenesis occurring at multiple places all across the planet's surface... then those "winner" organisms would not only have to eat their neighbors.. but would have to run across the planet eating every other winner. before evolving.

which would take longer.. the adjuous and improbable chore of hunting down every minute abiogenesis evolution candidate to consume them

or just evolving

-

reply to post by prevenge

so via your theory here.. abiogenesis occurring at multiple places all across the planet's surface... then those "winner" organisms would not only have to eat their neighbors.. but would have to run across the planet eating every other winner. before evolving

May I have a puff of whatever it is you are smoking, please?

Second line.