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: 15-35 Interstellar Medium: 16 Similarity of D/H of Comets to CI1 meteorites & Earth’s Oceans
Robert et al. (2000) “The Solar System D/H ratio: Observations and Theories.” Space Sci. Rev., 92, 201-224. Comets, Meteorites and the Origin and Evolution of the Biosphere Hypothesis: Comets are “Dirty Snowballs” and Perenially Frozen - Liquid Water Cannot Exist on Comets - Invalid
Deep-Impact Data Reveals Evidence for Liquid Water, Jets & High Temperature of Nucleus of Comet 9P/Temple 1 Biomolecules and Microfossils in Orgueil CI1 Carbonaceous Meteorite May 14, 1864, 8:00 A. M. – CI1 Carbonaceous Meteorite Falls in Orgueil, France – Over 20 Stones Recovered
Parent Body of Orgueil Meteorite is Halley-Type or Jupiter Family of Comets Orgueil Meteorite Contains Abundant Microfossils Biomolecules in Carbonaceous Meteorites Twenty amino acids are in all Proteins of all Life on Earth Only Eight are Found in Orgueil & Murchison meteorites. Twelve are Missing (Rules out recent bio-contaminants) GLY PRO
2919 ppb
ALA LEU 720/956 ppb
GLU VAL 537/801 ppb
ASP ILEU 100/342 ppb Extraterrestrial Nucleobases in Murchison CM2 Carbonaceous Meteorites
Martins et al., Extraterrestrial Nucleobases in the Murchison Meteorite. Earth & Planetary Letters, 279, 130-136, (2008). CytosineUracil: Half-Life 17,000 Years ThymineXanthine: Half-Life 1.3 Ma @ 0 C; pH 7 Levy, M. & Miller, S. L. The Stability of RNA Bases: Implications to the Origin of Life, PNAS, 95, 7933-7938, (1998). Unstable Nucleobases Thymine & Cytosine Absent BIO-CONTAMINATED METEORITES SHOULD CONTAIN URACIL; GUANINE; ADENINE; CYTOSINE; & THYMINE Evidence of Cells, Trichomes, and Sheath in Orgueil CI1 Carbonaceous Meteorite
BSED image of 10 µm diameter filament with thick electron transparent sheath enclosing single linear chain (trichome) of 1.8 µm dia. X 5.5 µm long cells Embedded Prokaryotic Filaments in the Orgueil CI1 Meteorite Embedded Prokaryotic Filaments in the Orgueil CI1 Meteorite: EDS X-Ray Maps
BSED & SED Images & Elemental X-Ray Maps of Filaments Nitrogen in Pleistocene Mammoth Guard Hair
C: 73.4% O: 13.6% N: 11.6%
P: 0.00% S: 1.16% Mg: .02% Distinct EDS Nitrogen Peak in 32,000 Yr Old Mammoth Hair N = 11.6% Atomic Missing Nitrogen in Meteorite Microfossils and Trilobites Nitrogen Absent in Carbon-rich Cyanobacteria Filament Embedded in Orgueil CI1 Meteorite
Kerogenous Cyanobacterial Filament with Apical Cell C 43.8%; O 14.8%; V 2.6% (O/C = 0.34; N < 0.5%) Fossil Acritarch in Orgueil CI1 Metrorite
Morphotype of Acritarch Leiospheridia sp. Tapered Filaments in Orgueil with Heterocysts
Living Calothrix sp. with Heterocyst. Tapered filaments in Orgueil with Basal Heterocysts FIMBRIAE OF CYANOBACTERIA IN ORGUEIL CI1 CARBONACEOUS METEORITE
Lophotrichous Tufts Of Fimbriae on Polarized Orgueil Filaments EDS Data of Sheath and Filament in Orgueil
Epsomite infilled Cyanobacterial Filament (O/C=0.2) with Emergent Trichomes and Kerogenous Sheath (N< 0.3%; O/C=0.1) Polar Plankton Diatoms in Polonnaruwa Meteorite
Meteorite Fossil Filament Compared with Earth Polar Marine Aulacoseira ambigua Extinct Hystrichosphere or Prasinophyte in Polonnaruwa Meteorite C
Al RECENT DISCOVERIES Diatoms & Desmids on ISS Window
Planktonic Cymbella sp. & Desmids on Outside of ISS RECENT DISCOVERIES Algae & Cyanobacteria Survive 450 Days Outside ISS in BIOMEX Lab
Nostoc sp. & Sphaerocystis sp. Outside ISS - 2/13/17 Diatoms Discovered in Orgueil on 19/5/17 at Astrobiology Sector, Laboratory of Radiation Biology, JINR Tescan Vega3 SEM - May19, 2017
Cyanobacterial Sheath, Framboid, Plates, Spines & Alveolata in Orgueil-Astrobiology Sector, Laboratory of Radiation Biology, JINR
Alveolata in Orgueil
Cyanobacterial Sheath and Framboid in Orgueil CI1 Carbonaceous Meteorite
Framboid with Plates and Spines of Alveolata in Orgueil Diatoms Discovered in Orgueil on 19/5/17 at Astrobiology Sector, Laboratory of Radiation Biology, JINR Pinnularia segariana , New Zealand Pinnularia sp. Beacon Valley, Antarctica 17.1m X 3.8 m 8.3 Mya Miocene Glacier (16.2mX3.4 m )
Pinnularia sp. Orgueil Meteorite (17.1m X 3.2 m ) Life in the Universe Comets May Be Site of RNA World or Iron-Sulfur World and the Origin of Life
Hot/Cold Cycling as Comet Tumbles near Perihelion Rapid Evaporation when Internal Pressures Destroy Crust
Water, H, C, O, N, P, S, Fe, Ni, Pyrite, Montmorillionite and Host of Organic Molecules Exist in CI1 Carbonaceous Meteorites and Hence Cometary Nuclei
Comets Mau Be Sites for Birth of Amino Acids, RNA World, DNA, Origin of Life & Distribute Water, Biomolecules and Life -- Spreading a Biosphere throughout the Cosmos Life in the Universe CONCLUSIONS Problems with Current Origin of Life Models Suggest Life on Earth May Have Been Delivered to Early Earth
Life Conditions (Water, Energy & Biogenic Elements) Co- Exist on All Comets, Planets & Moons of Solar System
Absence of Nitrogen Proves Fossils of Cyanobacteria, Acritarchs & Diatoms in Meteorites are Indigenous
Extraterrestrial Life Exists. Life on Earth May Have Formed on Comets or ExoPlanets More Ancient than our Sun and Been Transported to Early Earth by Interstellar Comets Life in the Universe ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Electron Microscopy – NASA/MSFC - Gregory Jerman; Cardiff Univ: N. C. Wickramasinghe, JINR: A Ryumin, Mikhail Kapralov Meteorite Samples Courtesy: Claude Perron & M. Rossignol-Strick- Musee d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris; Emile Ladier-Montauban Museum; P. Sipiera Planetary Studies Foundation & Field Museum, Chicago; William Birch, Victoria Museum, Melbourne Discussions of Meteoritics, Bacterial Paleontology and Cyanobacteria - Academician Alexei Yu. Rozanov, Astrobiology Sector, JINR Academician Eric Galimov, Vernadsky Institute (RAS); Rosemarie Rippka-Herdman - Institut Pasteur, Paris Presentation Dedicated to the Memory of Academician Georgi Zavarzin and Ludmilla Gerassimenko- INMI (RAS) and David Gilichinsky, Inst. For Soil Science and Photosynthesis, Pushchino Thank You for Your Attention