35 books: Cosmic origins of life 1976-2020 Physical Sciences︱ Chandra Wickramasinghe Cometary panspermia A radical theory of life’s cosmic origin and evolution …And over 450 articles, ~ 60 in Nature he combined efforts of generations supporting panspermia continues to Prof Wickramasinghe argues that the seeds of all life (bacteria and viruses) Panspermia has been around may have arrived on Earth from space, and may indeed still be raining down some 100 years since the term of experts in multiple fields, accumulate (Wickramasinghe et al., 2018, to affect life on Earth today, a concept known as cometary panspermia. ‘primordial soup’, referring to Tincluding evolutionary biology, 2019; Steele et al., 2018). the primitive ocean of organic paleontology and geology, have painted material not-yet-assembled a fairly good, if far-from-complete, picture COMETARY PANSPERMIA – cultural conceptions of life dating back galactic wanderers are normal features have argued that these could not into living organisms, was first of how the first life on Earth progressed A SOLUTION? to the ideas of Aristotle, and that this of the cosmos. Comets are known to have been lofted from the Earth to a coined. The question of how from simple organisms to what we can The word ‘panspermia’ comes from the may be the source of some of the have significant water content as well height of 400km by any known process. life’s molecular building blocks see today. However, there is a crucial ancient Greek roots ‘sperma’ meaning more hostile resistance the idea of as organics, and their cores, kept warm Bacteria have also been found high in spontaneously assembled gap in mainstream understanding - seed, and ‘pan’, meaning all. In the panspermia commonly evokes. If and by natural radioactivity, are argued by the stratosphere, residing naturally up themselves into something how life’s chemical building blocks model of cometary panspermia, the first when the concept is conceded it will Wickramasinghe to contain pockets of to 41km above Earth’s surface (Harris et that could self-replicate – an assembled themselves into something life on Earth did not spring into being surely rank among al. 2002; Wainwright informationally mega-rich living that would self-replicate and evolve into in some nutrient-rich pocket of the the most important et al. 2004). Microbial organism – remains unanswered. the magnificent panorama of life on ocean, but arrived on Earth from comets. breakthroughs in The Earth is then just another habitat communities have Meanwhile Chandra our planet. After decades of research Furthermore, it wasn’t a single, special, over a century. been found surviving Wickramasinghe and his team of and experimentation, no one has yet comet that brought life to Earth - rather, amongst many trillions in the cosmos, after 100 million international collaborators have been able to produce or propose a the cosmos is awash with life in the form of BUT HOW CAN years buried under been arguing that the seeds of where the cosmic legacy of life is firm mechanism by which life could bacteria and viruses. These microbes are LIFE SURVIVE IN ocean sediment all life (bacteria and viruses) may spontaneously emerge from inanimate stored and nurtured in comets and planets SPACE? nourished and can thrive. (Morono et al. 2020). instead have arrived on Earth material. Proponents of a theory called and are present in interstellar dust clouds. In the theory The observed ability from space, and may indeed still cometary panspermia argue that the of cometary panspermia, comets are liquid water for microbes to survive in of life to survive in hostile conditions, be raining down to affect life on speed at which life emerged on Earth, This idea sounds utterly out of place carriers of life, providing a stable vehicle (Hoyle and Wickramasinghe, 1985). or lie close-to-dormant for millions of Earth today, a concept known as combined with the exceedingly long alongside common conceptions of to transport bacteria and viruses across years and emerge to create healthy cometary panspermia. odds of the random assembly of self- Earth as the only known refuge for space, between cosmic dust clouds Bacteria have been found able populations, lends some credence to replicating molecules, would make the life in an otherwise barren and hostile and star systems. With the recent to survive on the outside of the idea of cosmic comet-bound travel. spontaneous appearance of life on Earth cosmos. Wickramansinghe argues that observations of two comets visiting our the International Space Station nothing short of miraculous (Hoyle and panspermia not only goes against the solar system from elsewhere (‘Oumouma (Grebennikova, T.V., et al. 2018). But comets are still bleak, barren objects Wickramasinghe, 1982, 2000). Meanwhile prevailing scientific doctrines regarding and Comet Borisov), we can see that Wickramasinghe and Rycroft (2018) fully exposed to the intense radioactive a diverse range of scientific evidence life, but ingrained, long-term western Marko Aliaksandr/Shutterstock.com Marko At the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Tokyo. www.researchfeatures.com www.researchfeatures.com Behind the Research Prof Chandra Wickramasinghe E: [email protected] T: +44 7778389243 W: https://profchandra.org/ W: https://panspermia.org/ Research Objectives Detail Panspermia proposes that bodies such as comets transported life forms such as bacteria—complete with Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe has made ground-breaking Bio their DNA—through space to the Earth. contributions to exploring the nature of cosmic dust, its role in Professor Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe was born in astrophysics, and its relevance to the understanding of life in the Universe. Sri Lanka and educated at Royal College, Colombo and commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panspermie_2.0.svg later at the University of Ceylon. In 1960 he obtained a First Class Honours degree in Mathematics and bombardment and temperature extremes As mentioned previously, life has been in a 2018 paper, the unique features and References won a Commonwealth scholarship to Trinity College of space. Is it really possible that found by high altitude balloons flown rapid evolution of octopi were argued Cambridge. He commenced work in Cambridge on his PhD degree under the supervision of the late Sir Fred organisms ferried on comets would be into the stratosphere (Harris et al. 2002). to be taken as signals of the presence of Grebennikova T.V., et al. (2018). The DNA of Bacteria of the World Ocean and the Earth in Cosmic Dust at the International Space Station. Scientific Hoyle, and published his first scientific paper in 1961. able to seed a planet after tens of millions One possible explanation as to how these alien DNA (Steele et al. 2018). Pandemics World Journal. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7360147 He was awarded a PhD degree in 1963, ScD degree in of years in transit? Survival may indeed be bacteria got there is strong winds blowing of viral disease throughout history and Harris, M.J, et al. (2002). Detection of living cells in stratospheric samples. 1973, and was a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge possible in the protected deep interiors them up from the surface. However, even now may well have a cometary Proc. SPIE 4495, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology IV, (5 from 1963−1973. He was also a Staff Member of the February 2002) Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge of comets, but what of survival once living Wickramasinghe asserts that this is not provenance according to Wickramasinghe over the same period. Here he began his pioneering cells leave the comets? possible and they may in fact be raining (Hoyle and Wickramasinghe, 1979, Qu Hoyle, F., Wickramasinghe, N.C., (1979). Diseases from Space. J.M. Dent work on the nature of Interstellar Dust, publishing many and Sons, Lond. down directly from space, at the prolific and Wickramasinghe, 2020, Steele et papers in this field that led to important paradigm shifts Hoyle, F., Wickramasinghe, N.C., (1982). Evolution from Space. J.M. Dent The harsh environment of space may rate of tonnes of microbes per day over al. 2020). in astronomy. He was a Professor at University College and Sons, Lond. Cardiff and Cardiff University from 1974−2011. He has indeed wipe out the vast majority of any the whole Earth (Wainwright et al. 2004, Hoyle, F., Wickramasinghe, N.C., (1985). Living Comets. University College held visiting Professorial appointments in the US, Canada iterant life, but life is, by definition, good Wickramasinghe et al. 2020). THE FUTURE OF PANSPERMIA Cardiff Press, Cardiff and Japan and Sri Lanka at various times. In 1983/84 he at surviving and replicating exponentially. The theory of panspermia and its Morono, Y., et al. (2020). Aerobic microbial life persists in oxic marine was Science Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka and Founder Director of the Institute of Fundamental Studies If only a few viable microbes, of an initial If this is indeed the case, and Earth will profound implications have attracted sediment as old as 101.5 million years. Nat Comm 11, https://doi. org/10.1038/s41467-020-17330-1 in Sri Lanka. He is currently Honorary Professor at the population of trillions, survive the transit be subject to a constant rain of alien sustained, strong often irrational rebukes University of Buckingham, UK, University of Ruhuna, Sri Slijepcivic, P. and Wickramasinghe, C. (2021). Reconfiguring SETI in the Lanka and an Adjunct Professor at the National Institute between viable planets, then these microbes, it stands to reason that we from multiple scientific disciplines microbial context: Panspermia as a solution to Fermi’s paradox. Biosystems of Fundamental Research in Sri Lanka. comet-borne microbes could be the should be able to detect alien genomes ranging from astrophysics to genetics to 206, 104441 (see also - https://theconversation.com/seti-how-microbes- seeds of life on multiple worlds.