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Life in the Universe Evidence for Cometary Panspermia

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Life in the Universe Evidence for Cometary Panspermia Life in the Universe Evidence for Cometary Panspermia Prof. Richard B. Hoover Astrobiology Group Leader Visiting Research Professor Athens State University Buckingham University Athens, AL USA Buckingham, UK ISINN-25 25th International Seminar on Interaction of Neutrons with Nuclei Dubna, Russia May 23, 2017 Life in the Universe INTRODUCTION Where, How & When Life Originated is Great Unanswered Question ~560 B.C.: Anaximander Proposes Spontaneous Generation Hypothesis ~450 B.C.: Anaxagoras Proposes Panspermia Hypothesis (Seeds Everywhere). 1861: Pasteur disproves Spontaneous Generation--Life from Non-Living Matter 1871: Panspermia Advanced By Lord Kelvin; Arrhenius (1903); Hoyle (1986) 1871: Darwin argues Origin of Life by Natural Processes in “Warm Little Pond” 1924: A. I. Oparin Developed Chemical Evolution Model and Suggests Asteroids and Interstellar Dust Particles Deliver Water and Organics to the Biosphere 1953: Miller-Urey -Amino Acids Could Form in Primordial Earth Atmosphere 1953: Watson-Crick-Franklin Discover Structure of DNA Molecule Origin of Life Believed Solved –Pre-Biotic Chemistry in Earth’s Early Atmosphere & Oceans Slowly Produced Amino Acids, Biomolecules, Coacervates & Membranes That Evolve Into Protocells, Simple Cells, Protozoa & Complex Multicellular Life Life in the Universe Endogenous Origin of Life Current Hypothesis (Paradigm) In 1953, it was known Earth formed ~ 4.5Billion Years Ago; Fossils Known at that Time Suggested Cyanobacteria & Cells Appeared ~2.5 Billion Years Ago. This Allows ~2 Billion Years for Long Slow Chemical Evolution Process before First Simple Living Cells Appeared on Earth Earth Considered a Closed System. All Earth Life Originates on Earth. Pre-Biotic Synthesis of Amino Acids and other Biomolecules in Earth’s Primitive Reducing Atmosphere and Oceans Leads to RNA World, Proteins, Membranes & Protocells Evolving into Complex Multicellular Organisms Life in the Universe Endogenous Origin of Life: Problems Biomolecules & Microfossils Indicate Life Appeared on Earth When Hadean Earth Had Cooled Enough to Allow Liquid Water Oceans Time Period for Long, Slow Process of Pre-Biotic Chemical Evolution Before Formation of First Living Cells Not Available on Earth Timeline by Linear Regression Genetic Complexity Sharov, A. and Gordon, R. Life Before Earth, arXiv.1304.3381, 2013 Genomic Extrapolation Suggests Life Originated 9.7 Billion Years Ago --- ~ 5.2 Billion Years Before Formation of Our Solar System and Planet Earth Life in the Universe Endogenous Origin of Life: Problems All 20 Protein Amino Acids not Formed by Miller-Urey Abiotic Homochirality Never Obtained in Laboratory 3- Phosphate (PO4 ) was virtually absent on Early Earth Goldford et al. Remnants of an Ancient Metabolism Without Phosphate, Cell, 2017 Phosphate/Phosphorylation is Essential to Genetic (RNA/DNA) & Metabolic Machinery (ATP) of Life RNA World Hypothesis vs. Iron-Sulfur World Hypothesis If Ancient Biochemistry of Life on Earth Originated with Iron & Sulfur ---- Where, How, and When Did Genetic and Metabolic Machinery Change So That Phosphate Became Absolutely Essential For All Life on Earth? Life in the Universe Endogenous Origin of Life: Problems Origin of Membranes, RNA/DNA, Proteins, Enzymes& Cells Genetics First – RNA World Metabolism First - Protein World Discoveries in Past 50 years in Paleontology, Microbiology, Biochemistry Molecular Biology & Genomics Reveal: Simple Cells Do Not Exist Life on Earth: 4.2-3.8 Gya Proteins, Enzymes, Bacteria&Protozoa are Complex Biogenic Carbon Isotopes in Isua Apatite Grains; Filamentous FossilsGya in 4.2-3.8 Gya Ferruginous Human Genome 3.2 Gbp Sedimentary Hydrothermal Vent Rocks, Polychaos dubium 670 Gbp Nuvvuagittuq Belt, Quebec, Canada Mozzis S.J. et al. “Evidence for Life on Earth before 3,800 Million Years Ago.” Nature 384, 55-59 (1996). DNA Gyrase TEM of Bacterial Dodd, M. S. et al., Evidence for early life in Earth's oldest Enzyme Flagellar Motor hydrothermal vent precipitates. Nature, 543, 60-64 (2017) Life in the Universe Exogenous Origin of Life Alternate Hypothesis (Panspermia) Earth Life Originated Elsewhere and was Delivered to Early Earth as Spores or Intact Cells Soon After Oceans Appear 1871 Von Helmholtz: “who could say whether the comets and meteors which swarm everywhere through space, may not scatter germs wherever a new world has reached the stage in which it is a suitable place for organic beings.” - Cometary Panspermia 1903 Svante Arrhenius: Spores of living Organisms Escape Planetary Atmospheres and Propelled throuhout Cosmos by Radiation Pressure-Radiopanspermia –Radiation Survival Problem 1973 Orgel & Crick: Intelligent Seeding - Directed Panspermia 1981 Hoyle & Wickramasinghe: Cometary Panspermia Life in the Universe Exogenous Origin of Life Cometary Panspermia Hypothesis Dramatically Alters the Time Period Available for Pre-Biotic Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Evolution. Comets and Meteorites Provide a Wide Array of Conditions Available for either the RNA World or the Iron-Sulfur World Scenarios to Lead to the Origin of Life Cometary Jets Allow Concentration of Solutes. Spinning Comet Near Star Gives Natural DNA/PCR Conditions Provides Mechanism for Distribution of Life Once Formed Cometary Panspermia 1986- Hoover, Hoyle et al. Propose that Diatoms Comet Hale-Bopp 4/5/97- 5 Days after Could Live and Grow on Comets and Europa. Perihelion. Photo: Univ. of Hawaii Diatom Silica Can Explain Interstellar Dust IR Spectra of Trapezium Nebula and GC-IRS 7 Wickramasinghe & Hoyle, “Infrared Radiation from Comet Hale-Bopp.” Astrophys.& Spa. Sci. 268, 1999 IR Spectrum of GC-IRS7 and Diatom Model Life in the Universe Cometary Panspermia Problems Does Not Answer Fundamental Question of Origin of Life Suggest Life on Earth Did Not Originate on Earth If Earth Life Originated Elsewhere in Our Solar System (Mars, Europa, Enceladus) or Nearby Star System Could it Have Been Delivered to Early Earth Along with Water and Organics by Comets, Asteroids and Meteorites? Could Living Cells/Spores Inhabit Comets? Could Viable Cells Survive Long Exposure to Space Environment (Vacuum, Thermal Extremes, Solar Wind, UV, g Rays, High Energy Galactic Cosmic Rays and Heating/Shock of Entry into Earth’s Atmosphere? Life in the Universe ExtraSolar Comets + Oldest Known Star - HD 140283 ~ 14.5 /- 0.8 Billion Years 186 light-yrs from Earth and Affords ~ 10 Billion Years more than Earth for Long, Slow Chemical Evolution Process. Escape Velocity of Interstellar Comet (20 km/sec) Transit from HD 140283 to Earth ~ 2.7 Million yrs Recent Discoveries in Siberian Permafrost and Beacon Valley Antarctic Ice Prove Microorganisms (as Viable Spores & Cells) Can Survive Frozen in Ice for more than 8.3 Million Years. Kilometer Thick Layers of Ice Crust, Rocks Could Shield Microbes from Solar Wind, Gamma Rays and Highest Energy Galactic Cosmic Ray Nuclei, Life in Ancient Ice Living bacteria and diatoms found in 3.7 km thick ice sheet and in subglacial Lake Vostok beneath Vostok Station in Antarctica Diatoms from 2827 M core Life in Ancient Ice C 84% O 11% N 2% X 2010 Hoover & Pikuta Isolate Cyanobacteria & Living Bacteria from stomach of Lyuba 40,000 year old Mammoth from Siberian Permafrost Life in Ice: Microbial Extremophiles from 2008 Schirmacher Oasis Expedition -- Comet Analog New Species of Bacteria from Ice Sculpture Ice Cave Mini-Planets form in Ice Sculpture as Sunlight Heats Black Rocks making Meltwater Pools. Photosynthetic Bacteria Grow and Release O2 Forming Mini-Atmosphere in Ice Sanguibacter gelidistatuariae sp. nov., a novel psychrotolerant anaerobe from an ice sculpture in Antarctica, and emendation of descriptions for the family Sanguibacteraceae, the genus Sanguibacter and species S. antarcticus, S. inulinus, S. kedieii, S. marinus, S.soli and S. suarezii . Elena V. Pikuta, Richard B. Hoover, et al., Int. Jour. Systematic & Evolutionary Biology, 2017 (IN PRESS) Europa Oceans & Possible Life Minos Linea Region Herminiimonas glaciei Loveland –Curtze et. al. 3042 M in Greenland Ice Core Thrace Region Conamara Chaos Region (70X30 km) Red, Purple & Golden Brown Colors ~ Pigments in Polar Microbes Geysers & Liquid Water Seas on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Cassini Mission Detects Water Ice Geysers from Tiger Stripes near South Pole of Enceladus Temp. at Tiger Stripes ~ 273 K Cassini Gravity Data indicates vast Regional Subsurface Sea of Liquid Water Sea at Depth of 30 to 40 km up to 50o S Latitude Less at al. “The Gravity Field and Interior Structure of Enceladus” Science 344, 78-80, (2014) O2 in Enceladus & Rhea from ice decomposition by magnetospheric plasma DAWN DISCOVERS Water-Ice/Organics on Pluto & Charon New Mountains, Polygons & Ice Flows on Pluto indicate Oceans Red&Orange colors from Tholins or Pigments. Sub-Ice Oceans and Cryovolcanism on Charon Credit: NASA/GSFC;JHUAPL;SwRI Comets, Meteorites and the Origin and Evolution of the Biosphere Comets acrete IDP’s, Planetary & Cosmic Debris Comets are not “Pristine” ProtoSolar Nebular Material • Comets are Probable Parent Stardust NExT Image Bodies of CI1 & CM2 Meteorites of Comet 9P/Temple 1 • Carbonaceous Meteorites: Ice, Water & Low Temperature Aqueous Alteration of Minerals •Dominant Minerals: Pyrite, Griegite, Montmorillionite Clay, and Magnesium Sulfate •Tumbling & Orbits give alternate Freeze Thaw Cycles and Exposure to Vacuum. Comets, Meteorites and the Origin and Evolution of the Biosphere Deuterium-Hydrogen Ratio D/H (x 10-6) Comets: 290-330 CI1 Meteorite: 185-545 Earth’s Oceans: 149 ± 3 Proto Solar Nebula: 21 Jupiter/Saturn:
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