Extra-Terrestrial Origin of Life

This is my first hypothetical post. I am not a biologist and only have a layman’s understanding so please bear with me. I propose (as many have) that earth was seeded via panspermia.

After viewing a recent article entitled Microbiologistsfind magnetic bacteria in Lonar Lake”

New Delhi (PTI) Microbiologists in Maharashtra have found 'magnetic bacteria' in the ancient Lonar lake formed due to meteorite impact, a finding that might open a vista for searching extra-terrestrial life.

The article goes on later to say:

"This seems to hint at a certain correlation between these bacteria and meteorites, and that could have tremendous implications on the search for extra-terrestrial life. We need to explore if life outside the earth existed in this form," Mr. Chavadar said reporting his findings in a recent issue of 'Current Science'.

This led me to doing some reading in regards to Magnetotactic bacteria

Now imagine for a moment that such Magnetotactic bacteria came to earth via meteorites and acquired their eponymous properties from evolving in transit trough numerous magnetic fields in interstellar and stellar environments.

Higher life forms also possess biogenic magnetite;

Biogenic magnetite not too different from that found in magnetotactic bacteria has been also found in higher organisms, from euglenoid algae, to salmons, pigeons, and humans.

(quote from above wiki)

Euglenids have been classified as both animals and plants as they share characteristics with both. Euglenids are believed to descend from an ancestor that took up green algae.

Imagine for a moment that magnetotactic bacteria, far from being a descendant of early cyanobacteria (blue green algae) was in fact the origin that gave rise to eukaryotes such as Euglenids and from there branching off into early plants and animals.

Could our own magnetotactic bacteria be the very evidence of our origins?

I thought the reference might be Roswell the Hills and Walton cases
that seem to be the most popular.
UFOs over the Capitol building in Washington DC seems to be
the most proof of UFOs.

I would assume the same biology of earth for any ET.
And a million to one perhaps as a chance of an earth ever happened again.

It was good enough for love in "Dumb and Dumber".

reply to post by TeslaandLyne


Wow... you blew my mind. I have NO idea what you just said.

Originally posted by whiskeypoet
Could our own magnetotactic bacteria be the very evidence of our origins?

Only those with a magnetic personality

Magnetic bacteria in Lonar Lake PDF White paper

www.ias.ac.in...

Did an Impact Make the Mysterious Microscopic Magnetite Crystals in ALH 84001?

Fervent debate swirls around microscopic crystals of magnetite (Fe3O4) in Martian meteorite ALH 84001. Some investigators suggest that the crystals are evidence of past life on Mars, citing magnetite crystals of similar chemical compositions and sizes made by magnetotactic bacteria on Earth.

www.psrd.hawaii.edu...

reply to post by zorgon


Much obliged Zorgon. I hadn’t thought if looking for that…
Thanks!

Edit-I had seen the connection to the mars meteorite also but got distracted and forgot to add it, thanks again!

[edit on 19/6/2009 by whiskeypoet]

Related...

Nanobacteria A Problem For Space Travellers, Says NASA

In the published study, trials were conducted at NASA to observe nanobacteria in a bioreactor chamber which simulates conditions of space travel. In this microgravity environment, nanobacteria were found to multiply five times faster compared to normal gravity on Earth, supporting earlier discoveries that microbes have radically different behavior in weightless environments. Nanobacteria were also shown to possibly be an infectious risk for crew members living in close quarters. "Hopefully, eradication or treatment of these diseases will be possible in the near future. We need more research and support to solve this puzzle, but we feel that we are close," concluded Ciftcioglu.

www.scienceagogo.com...


Keeping nanobacterial infections at bay during space travel PDF
www.astrobiology.cf.ac.uk...


Seems the Astronauts are infected

reply to post by whiskeypoet


In the movie a girl was asked the chances of her ever loving him.
He said one in a hundred.
She said way more than that.

Then how much.
She says about a million.

He says, so I have a chance then.

Sort of my joke to the contra possible life for the ET.

reply to post by TeslaandLyne


Aha... whether obscure or obvious I miss a couple here or there... Always a chance.

[edit on 19/6/2009 by whiskeypoet]

Originally posted by whiskeypoet
Edit-I had seen the connection to the mars meteorite also but got distracted and forgot to add it, thanks again!

Distracted? Happens to me all the time this late...

What gets me are the ODS of finding that meteorite


For it to be a piece of Mars as they claim... there would have had to be an impact violent enough to have debris reach escape velocity, enough to leave the gravitation influence of Mars, get into a trajectory that takes it to Earth. It had to be still big enough to survive falling to Earth, than land on the ice in Antarctica where it was just lying on the surface for NASA to pick up...

What are the odds?

One question... Is the magneto-bacteria something that is held up for it's agitation properties in the creation of life? If it is, then I would like to point out that in purely scientific terms the agitation needed for creation of life on earth is not something that is hard to explain. The moon and gravity create the agitation on this planet. Human women without the moon would be barren. What about the moon's pull agitates the change in a womans body every month to cycle and become fertile again? IMO Without the moon, there is probably no life on the planet. This is of course just my opinion and might be completely wrong. This is slightly OT but I felt like it was maybe the only thing I could add to the discussion now.

This is a good thread. Flagged... (You should be ecstatic I'm flagging now.)

Extra-Terrestrial Origin of Life
reply to post by bloodline


I think I see evolution in action... bloodline is being friendly

As far a magnetotactic bacteria, no, it has not really known for it's agitation purposes... (correct me if I am wrong) but most theories hold to amino acids, lightning, yada yada parthenogenesis... but I'm not biologist so I'm sure I'll catch crap for that.

In regards to menstrual cylcles, I would like to think that women’s cycles evolved in response to the monthly tides...

Let's not forget also that the moon aided in hastening a reducing atmosphere or else we might still be sitting in a primordial soup... but I'm just a slightly informed guesser...

Thanks for the flag, the gesture is noted

I think it may be more common than previously thought.

Bacteria and microbes piggy backing on or in meteorites aahhh genesis! When we consider the shear numbers of planetary bodies and how ancient the universe is, this could be the ET everybody is looking for.

[edit on 19-6-2009 by SLAYER69]

reply to post by zorgon


Or maybe blown out of Olympos Mons, hell her summit's halfway to orbit anyway

Odds? Sheesh... If you start thinking about odds none of us should be here let alone drinking Johnny Walker and chatting our own contemplative navels away.

Originally posted by whiskeypoet

Odds? Sheesh... If you start thinking about odds none of us should be here let alone drinking Johnny Walker and chatting our own contemplative navels away.

Well it seems I've walked into my kind of crowd....
Bottoms up
Pours himself another double.

Originally posted by bloodline
Human women without the moon would be barren. What about the moon's pull agitates the change in a womans body every month to cycle and become fertile again?

Indeed. I read a study years ago that suggested if we were to travel off-world, even to a planet as close as Mars, women would have major troubles conceiving children due to the link between lunar cycles and the female menstruation period.

In essence, the future generations of humans would all have to be IVF if we were to have any chance of propagating the species. I would imagine that the same would apply to most animals and plants.

On topic. It's possible that life on earth had an extra terrestrial origin but it's just as likely everything happened here. When we say extraterrestrial are we just talking about the chemical building blocks or are we talking about the spark of life (consciousness) that inhabits the vessel created from the building blocks? Or both?

The term extraterrestrial is a difficult one. We could even assume that the 'stuff' that made the earth didn't originate from earth (obviously) and therefore the Earth itself is of extraterrestrial origin. Where do we draw the line? How far back must we go?

IMHO, life is probably a universal constant and it's probably also true that the universe itself is some form of life way beyond our understanding. Life from Life.

IRM

[edit on 19/6/09 by InfaRedMan]

reply to post by SLAYER69


Oh, I absolutely agree. Why should mother nature stop at the mesosphere?

I'm sure someday we'll find spaceborne life, life in nebula's, crystalline life and every other variation under a rainbow of suns...

reply to post by InfaRedMan



You brought up some very interesting ideas. I wonder how much the moon plays in our longevity? If it dominates the fertility cycles then why not impact on us in other ways. Maybe space travel would be a trade off. Longevity in exchange for low or no procreation.

Starts one thinking...

reply to post by SLAYER69


OK ... going hypothetical here....

When I first read that study, I started to wonder if what was said about aliens (namely the grays) was true. Some people have suggested that they are clones. I thought to myself that if they do indeed exist and are coming 'here', a place far from their own planet/solar system, then it would not be surprising if the only way they could propagate their species was to clone.

Given all this was true, then it does make some sense that their lives would also be linked to the cycles of their moon and sun.

If we are to fast forward into our own inevitable future, we know for a fact that Earth will eventually be unable to support life; and for the human species to survive, we will have to leave this planet. Perhaps many species have also faced this predicament in the past. Perhaps eventually we all go the way of cloning. I guess we should feel lucky to be 'the originals'... or ones of origin... lol!


IRM

[edit on 19/6/09 by InfaRedMan]

SLAYER69,
by all means, pour another... You've already given me a reason to distract myself from work tomorrow by researching cross species menstrual cycles...

To InfraRedMan,

Are you aware of any studies done by NASA or the ESA on any short term effects wait, scratch that... there's still a tide in orbit. All we would get is data on micro-gravity.

I wonder if we could get by the lack of moon problem with (dunt dunt duh!) magnetotactic bacteria!