Panspermia — the Theory That Life Came from Outer Space
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Messengers from Outer Space
The complete absence of national laboratories for standardizing radiation measurements and the lack of physics departments in most radiotherapy centres in Latin America warrant the setting up of one or more regional dosimetry facilities, the functions of which would be primarily to calibrate dosimeters; to provide local technical assistance by means of trained staff; to check radiation equipment and dosimeters; to arrange a dose-intercomparison service; and to co-operate with local personnel dosimetry services. To be most effective, this activity should be in the charge of local personnel, with some initial assistance in the form of equipment and experts provided by the Agency. Although the recommendations were presented to the IAEA as the or ganization responsible for the setting up of the panel, the participants re commended that the co-operation of the World Health Organization and the Pan-American Health Organization should be invited. It was also suggested that the panel report be circulated to public health authorities in the countries represented. MESSENGERS FROM OUTER SPACE Although no evidence has yet been confirmed of living beings reaching the earth from space, it has been estimated that hundreds of tons of solid matter arrive every day in the form of meteorites or cosmic dust particles. Much is destroyed by heat in the atmosphere but fragments recovered can give valuable information about what has been happening in the universe for billions of years. Some of the results of worldwide research on meteorites were given at a symposium in Vienna during August. During six days of discussions a total of 73 scientific papers was present ed and a special meeting was held for the purpose of improving international co-operation in the research. -
The Water on Mars Vanished. This Might Be Where It Went
The water on Mars vanished. This might be where it went. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/the-water-on-mars-vanished-this-might-be-where- it-went-/articleshow/81599751.cms NYT News Service | Mar 20, 2021, 10:32 IST Mars was once wet, with an ocean’s worth of water on its surface. Today, most of Mars is as dry as a desert except for ice deposits in its polar regions. Where did the rest of the water go? Some of it disappeared into space. Water molecules, pummeled by particles of solar wind, broke apart into hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and those, especially the lighter hydrogen atoms, sped out of the atmosphere, lost to outer space. A tall outcropping of rock, with layered deposits of sediments in the distance, marking a remnant of an ancient, long-vanished river delta in Jezero Crater, are pictured in this undated image taken by NASA's Mars rover Perseverance. (Reuters) But most of the water, a new study concludes, went down, sucked into the red planet’s rocks. And there it remains, trapped within minerals and salts. Indeed, as much as 99% of the water that once flowed on Mars could still be there, the researchers estimated in a paper published this week in the journal Science. Data from the past two decades of robotic missions to Mars, including NASA ’s Curiosity rover and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, showed a wide distribution of what geologists call hydrated minerals. “It became very, very clear that it was common and not rare to find evidence of water alteration,” said Bethany Ehlmann, a professor of planetary science at the California Institute of Technology and one of the authors of the paper. -
The Protection of Frequencies for Radio Astronomy 1
JOURNAL OF RESEARCH of the National Bureau of Standards-D. Radio Propagation Vol. 67D, No. 2, March- April 1963 b The Protection of Frequencies for Radio Astronomy 1 R. 1. Smith-Rose President, International Scientific Radio Union (R eceived November 5, 1962) The International T elecommunications Union in its Geneva, 1959 R adio R egulations r recognises the Radio Astronomy Service in t he two following definitions: N o. 74 Radio A st1" onomy: Astronomy based on t he reception of waves of cos mi c origin. No. 75 R adio A st1"onomy Se1"vice: A service involving the use of radio astronomy. This service differs, however, from other r adio services in two important respects. 1. It does not itself originate any radio waves, and therefore causes no interference to any other service. L 2. A large proportion of its activity is conducted by the use of reception techniques which are several orders of magnit ude )]).ore sensitive than those used in other ra dio services. In order to pursue his scientific r esearch successfully, t he radio astronomer seeks pro tection from interference first, in a number of bands of frequencies distributed t hroughout I t he s p ~ct run:; and secondly:. 1~10r e complete and s p ec i~c prote.ction fOl: t he exact frequency bands III whIch natural radIatIOn from, or absorptIOn lD, cosmIc gases IS known or expected to occur. The International R egulations referred to above give an exclusive all ocation to one freq uency band only- the emission line of h ydrogen at 1400 to 1427 Mc/s. -
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BIO Web of Conferences 4, 00014 (2015) DOI: 10.1051/bioconf/20150400014 C Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2015 From neonts to filionts and their progenies... Biodiversity draws its origins from the origins of life itself Marie-Christine Maurela Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB - UMR 7205 – CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 45 rue Buffon, CP. 50, 75005 Paris, France “Should the question of the priority of the egg over the chicken, or of the chicken over the egg disturb you, it is because you assume that animals were originally what they are to-day; what madness!" The dream of d’Alembert, 1760, Denis Diderot Abstract. Since the origins, different modes of life exist. Indeed it is difficult to imagine how things could have been constructed by a single event that would have marked the birth of life. A brief historical background of the subject will be presented here. Then, we shall wander through the history of the discoveries that have led the way of experimental science over the last 150 years and shall dwell on one of the major paradigms, that of the RNA World. This paradigm illustrates the path followed by the living that tries all possible means when expressed at the molecular level as simple free molecule leading to RNA fragments and to modern subviral particles such as viroids then to ramifications and compartments. Between the ancient and the modern RNA world we underline how environment talks to molecules leading to the global living tissus which establish the ground of biodiversity. -
Interstellar Dust Within the Life Cycle of the Interstellar Medium K
EPJ Web of Conferences 18, 03001 (2011) DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/20111803001 C Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2011 Interstellar dust within the life cycle of the interstellar medium K. Demyk1,2,a 1Université de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, IRAP, Toulouse, France 2CNRS, IRAP, 9 Av. colonel Roche, BP. 44346, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4, France Abstract. Cosmic dust is omnipresent in the Universe. Its presence influences the evolution of the astronomical objects which in turn modify its physical and chemical properties. The nature of cosmic dust, its intimate coupling with its environment, constitute a rich field of research based on observations, modelling and experimental work. This review presents the observations of the different components of interstellar dust and discusses their evolution during the life cycle of the interstellar medium. 1. INTRODUCTION Interstellar dust grains are found everywhere in the Universe: in the Solar System, around stars at all evolutionary stages, in interstellar clouds of all kind, in galaxies and in the intergalactic medium. Cosmic dust is intimately mixed with the gas-phase and represents about 1% of the gas (in mass) in our Galaxy. The interstellar extinction and the emission of diffuse interstellar clouds is reproduced by three dust components: a population of large grains, the BGs (Big Grains, ∼10–500 nm) made of silicate and a refractory mantle, a population of carbonaceous nanograins, the VSGs (Very Small Grains, 1–10 nm) and a population of macro-molecules the PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) [1]. These three components are more or less abundant in the diverse astrophysical environments reflecting the coupling of dust with the environment and its evolution according to the physical and dynamical conditions. -
What Are Cosmic Rays?!
WhatWWhatWhhaatt areaarearree CosmicCCosmicCoossmmiicc Rays?!RRays?!Raayyss??!! By Hayanon Translated by Y. Noda and Y. Kamide Supervised by Y. Muraki ᵶᵶᵋᵰᵿᶗᶑᵘᴾᴾᵱᶇᶀᶊᶇᶌᶅᶑᴾᶍᶄᴾᵡᶍᶑᶋᶇᶁᴾᵰᵿᶗᶑᵋᵰᵿᶗᶑᵘᵘᴾᴾᵱᶇᶀᶊᶊᶇᶌᶅᶑᴾᶍᶄᴾᵡᶍᶑᶋᶇᶁᴾᵰᵿᶗᶑ Have you ever had an X-ray examination Scientists identified three types at the hospital? In 1896, a German of radiation: positively-charged alpha physicist, W. C. Röntgen, astonished people particles, negatively-charged beta particles, with an image of bones captured through and uncharged gamma rays. In 1903, M. the use of X-rays. He had just discovered Curie along with her husband, P. Curie, and the new type of rays emitted by a discharge Becquerel, won the Nobel prize in physics. device. He named them X-rays. Because Furthermore, M. Curie was awarded the of their high penetration ability, they are Nobel prize in chemistry in 1911. able to pass through flesh. Soon after, it Certain types of radiation including was found that excessive use of X-rays can X-rays are now used for many medical cause harm to bodies. purposes including examining inside the In that same year, a French scientist, body, treating cancer, and more. Radiation, A. H. Becquerel, found that a uranium however, could be harmful unless the compound also gave off mysterious rays. amount of radiation exposure is strictly To his surprise, they could penetrate controlled. wrapping paper and expose a photographic The work with radium by M. Curie later film generating an image of the uranium led to the breakthrough discovery of compound. The uranium rays had similar the radiation coming from space. These characteristics as those of X-rays, but were cosmic rays were discovered by an Austrian determined to be different from them. -
L115 Modeling the Unidentified Infrared Emission With
The Astrophysical Journal, 511:L115±L119, 1999 February 1 q 1999. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. MODELING THE UNIDENTIFIED INFRARED EMISSION WITH COMBINATIONS OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS L. J. Allamandola, D. M. Hudgins, and S. A. Sandford NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, CA 94035 Received 1998 July 13; accepted 1998 November 24; published 1999 January 18 ABSTRACT The infrared emission band spectrum associated with many different interstellar objects can be modeled successfully by using combined laboratory spectra of neutral and positively charged polycyclic aromatic hydro- carbons (PAHs). These model spectra, shown here for the ®rst time, alleviate the principal spectroscopic criticisms previously leveled at the PAH hypothesis and demonstrate that mixtures of free molecular PAHs can indeed account for the overall appearance of the widespread interstellar infrared emission spectrum. Furthermore, these models give us insight into the structures, stabilities, abundances, and ionization balance of the interstellar PAH population. These, in turn, re¯ect conditions in the emission zones and shed light on the microscopic processes involved in the carbon nucleation, growth, and evolution in circumstellar shells and the interstellar medium. Subject headings: infrared: ISM: lines and bands Ð ISM: individual (Orion Bar, IRAS 2227215435) Ð line: formation Ð line: identi®cation Ð line: pro®les Ð molecular data Ð radiation mechanisms: nonthermal 1. INTRODUCTION resemblance of the -
The Next Decade in Astrochemistry: an Integrated Approach
The Next Decade in Astrochemistry: An Integrated Approach An Astro2010 Science White Paper by Lucy M. Ziurys (U. Arizona) Michael C. McCarthy (Harvard, CfA) Anthony Remijan (NRAO) DeWayne Halfen (U.Arizona) Al Wooten (NRAO) Brooks H. Pate (U.Virginia) Science Frontier Panels: Planets and Stars and Star Formation Stars and Stellar Evolution The Galactic Neighborhood 1 Introduction: The Transformational Role of Astrochemistry: Among the most fundamental questions in astronomy are those concerning the formation of stars and planets from interstellar material and the feedback mechanisms from those stars on the dynamics and chemical evolution of the ISM itself. Studies of the Milky Way and other galaxies in the Local Group have shown that massive molecular clouds are the principal sites of star formation (e.g. Rosolowsky and Blitz 2005). The resultant stars can limit the star formation process as their radiation heats and disperses the remaining cloud (e.g. Matzner 2002). Star formation itself generally proceeds through the formation of a proto-planetary disk, which in turn leads to the establishment of planetary systems (e.g. Glassgold et al. 2004) and the creation of reservoirs of icy bodies. Such reservoirs are the sources of comets, asteroids, and meteorites, which provide a continuing source of material to planets via bombardment (e.g. Mumma et al. 2003). The material in stars is subject to nuclear processing, and some of it is returned to the ISM via supernovae and mass loss from other evolved stars (Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB), red giants and supergiants: e.g. Wilson 2000). In our galaxy, planetary nebulae, which form from AGB stars, are thought to supply almost an order of magnitude more mass to the ISM than supernovae (e.g. -
Astrochemistry from Astronomy to Astrobiology
Astrochemistry from Astronomy to Astrobiology Astrochemistry from Astronomy to Astrobiology Andrew M. Shaw University of Exeter Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ, England Telephone (+44) 1243 779777 Email (for orders and customer service enquiries): [email protected] Visit our Home Page on www.wiley.com All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP, UK, without the permission in writing of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ, England, or emailed to [email protected], or faxed to (+44) 1243 770620. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The Publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the Publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. -
Laboratory Astrophysics: from Observations to Interpretation
April 14th – 19th 2019 Jesus College Cambridge UK IAU Symposium 350 Laboratory Astrophysics: From Observations to Interpretation Poster design by: D. Benoit, A. Dawes, E. Sciamma-O’Brien & H. Fraser Scientific Organizing Committee: Local Organizing Committee: Farid Salama (Chair) ★ P. Barklem ★ H. Fraser ★ T. Henning H. Fraser (Chair) ★ D. Benoit ★ R Coster ★ A. Dawes ★ S. Gärtner ★ C. Joblin ★ S. Kwok ★ H. Linnartz ★ L. Mashonkina ★ T. Millar ★ D. Heard ★ S. Ioppolo ★ N. Mason ★ A. Meijer★ P. Rimmer ★ ★ O. Shalabiea★ G. Vidali ★ F. Wa n g ★ G. Del-Zanna E. Sciamma-O’Brien ★ F. Salama ★ C. Wa lsh ★ G. Del-Zanna For more information and to contact us: www.astrochemistry.org.uk/IAU_S350 [email protected] @iaus350labastro 2 Abstract Book Scheduley Sunday 14th April . Pg. 2 Monday 15th April . Pg. 3 Tuesday 16th April . Pg. 4 Wednesday 17th April . Pg. 5 Thursday 18th April . Pg. 6 Friday 19th April . Pg. 7 List of Posters . .Pg. 8 Abstracts of Talks . .Pg. 12 Abstracts of Posters . Pg. 83 yPlenary talks (40') are indicated with `P', review talks (30') with `R', and invited talks (15') with `I'. Schedule Sunday 14th April 14:00 - 17:00 REGISTRATION 18:00 - 19:00 WELCOME RECEPTION 19:30 DINNER BAR OPEN UNTIL 23:00 Back to Table of Contents 2 Monday 15th April 09:00 { 10:00 REGISTRATION 09:00 WELCOME by F. Salama (Chair of SOC) SESSION 1 CHAIR: F. Salama 09:15 E. van Dishoeck (P) Laboratory astrophysics: key to understanding the Universe From Diffuse Clouds to Protostars: Outstanding Questions about the Evolution of 10:00 A. -
Astrochemistry and Astrobiology
springer.com Chemistry : Physical Chemistry Smith, I.W.M., Cockell, C.S., Leach, S. (Eds.) Astrochemistry and Astrobiology Outlines principles of physical chemistry needed for the fields of astrochemistry and astrobiology Contributions from international experts in astrochemistry and astrobiology Suitable for researchers from interdisciplinary fields Astrochemistry and Astrobiology is the debut volume in the new series Physical Chemistry in Action. Aimed at both the novice and experienced researcher, this volume outlines the physico- chemical principles which underpin our attempts to understand astrochemistry and predict astrobiology. An introductory chapter includes fundamental aspects of physical chemistry required for understanding the field. Eight further chapters address specific topics, encompassing basic theory and models, up-to-date research and an outlook on future work. Springer The last chapter examines each of the topics again but addressed from a different angle. 2013, X, 350 p. Written and edited by international experts, this text is accessible for those entering the field of 1st astrochemistry and astrobiology, while it still remains interesting for more experienced edition researchers. Order online at springer.com/booksellers Printed book Springer Nature Customer Service Center LLC Hardcover 233 Spring Street Printed book New York, NY 10013 Hardcover USA ISBN 978-3-642-31729-3 T: +1-800-SPRINGER NATURE (777-4643) or 212-460-1500 $ 199,99 [email protected] Available Discount group Professional Books (2) Product category Monograph Series Physical Chemistry in Action Other renditions Softcover ISBN 978-3-642-43479-2 Softcover ISBN 978-3-642-31731-6 Prices and other details are subject to change without notice. All errors and omissions excepted. -
Problems with Panspermia Or Extraterrestrial Origin of Life Scenarios As Found on the IDEA Center Website At
Problems with Panspermia or Extraterrestrial Origin of Life Scenarios As found on the IDEA Center website at http://www.ideacenter.org Panspermia is the theory that microorganisms or biochemical compounds from outer space are responsible for originating life on Earth and possibly in other parts of the universe where suitable atmospheric conditions exist. Essentially, it is a hypothesis which states that life on earth came from outer space. It has been popularized in countless science fiction works, however some scientists, including the discoverer of the structure of DNA, Francis Crick, have advocated panspermia. There are generally about 3 different "flavors" of panspermia: 1. Naturalistic Panspermia where life evolves on another planet, and naturally gets ejected off the planet and come to rest on earth. 2. Directed Panspermia where intelligent life on other planets intentionally seeded other planets with their own form of life. 3. Intelligent Design Panspermia, where intelligent beings from another planet came to earth and designed life here. Each type of panspermia will be briefly discussed below: 1. Naturalistic Panspermia where life evolves on another planet, and naturally gets ejected off the planet and come to rest on earth. Naturalistic panspermia has gained popularity because some have recognized that life on earth appears very soon after the origin of conditions which would allow it to exist. Many scientists believed that if life had originated on earth it would have taken many hundreds of millions, or even billions of years to do so. Life appears perhaps less than 200 million after the origin of conditions at which life could exist.