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Cometary panspermia and origin of life?
N Chandra Wickramasinghe1, Dayal T Wickramasinghe2, Edward J Steele3
1University of Buckingham, Buckingham, United Kingdom; Centre for Astrobiology, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka; Institute for the Study of Panspermia and Astrobiology, Gifu, Japan; National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Advances in Genetics
|October 21, 2020
Summary
Comets may harbor life, supporting the theory of panspermia. Astronomical data from various missions suggests that life
Area of Science:
- Astrobiology
- Planetary Science
- Origin of Life Studies
Background:
- The theory of panspermia proposes that life can be transported between celestial bodies.
- Comets are hypothesized to potentially carry viable biological components such as bacteria and viruses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate astronomical observations for evidence supporting cometary panspermia.
- To investigate the role of comets in the origin and evolution of life on Earth.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of infrared, visual, and ultraviolet spectra of interstellar dust.
- Spectroscopic analysis of dust from comets Halley, Hale-Bopp, and Tempel I.
- Examination of material from the Stardust Mission and data from the Rosetta mission.
Main Results:
- Astronomical observations align with the theory of cometary panspermia.
- Detection of biological indicators, including amino acids, sugars, and ethyl alcohol, in cometary samples and jets.
- Consistent data across multiple cometary missions supports the presence of biological components.
Conclusions:
- The available data strongly indicates that cometary biology is a significant factor.
- Interstellar panspermia, facilitated by comets, is presented as an inevitable process in the context of life's origins.
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