Research can also help clarify the origin of life on earth

One of the basic themes of astrobiology is the identification of the origin and distribution of life in the universe. As part of this, the field also looks at how life moves from one planetary system to another. Recent studies could shed light on how traces of this interesting process can be discovered in the future.

Associate Professor of Astrobiology, Florida Institute of Technology Manas BillinghamRecently completed an article with researchers from the Swiss Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne and the University of Rome in Italy entitled “The Feasibility of Detecting Interstellar Panspermia in the Astrophysical Environment”. Astronomical Journal.

This study examines how planets collide with rocks and how the life-bearing microbes that may be present on these rocks spread to bring life from one planet to another. Analysis of life on a planet may have been initiated by the panspermia theory, a theory thousands of years ago that microbes living in cosmic dust, comets, and asteroids move onto the planet when they contact the planet’s surface collide. In their work, Ringham and his team presented a sophisticated mathematical model that takes into account the survival time of microorganisms, the speed at which particles spread, and the speed of ejection, which are substances that are extruded as a result of impact . Detection of interstellar panspermia.

This work shows that the correlation between pairs of life-bearing planetary systems can serve as an effective diagnosis for interstellar panspermia when the speed of ejecta-containing microorganisms is greater than the relative speed of stars. I am. The team makes practical estimates of the model parameters for various astrophysical environments and is the best way for open clusters and globular clusters (i.e., dense environments) to assess the feasibility of interstellar panspermia. I came to the conclusion that it seems to be the goal.

Like a chain reaction in a nuclear reactor, life on a planet is such that an object with a life collides with (and thereby seeds) a planet, followed by an object with microorganisms on that planet. It can be launched by releasing it into space and spreading it. Over several planets in the region. In addition to the mechanism behind this panspermia theory, scientists believe that life can also be created from abiotic systems in a process known as the origin of life. By studying the biological properties of the planet, Lingham and his team conducted a study that showed how far and effectively the panspermia theory can reach neighboring planets.

“We showed that there were certain settings where the panspermia theory was more conducive and others where it was less conducive,” Lingham said. “The second thing I’ve shown is that the distinction between the two hypotheses (the Panspermia theory and the origin of life) can be made using a mathematical quantity known as the pairwise correlation function. In some cases, it means that the panspermia theory is working. If there is a null function, it means that life in the world is created independently. “

For Ringer, this paper not only understands which planets are affected by the movement of living things, but also better how planets on earth are biologically related to other living things in the solar system. It can give way to understanding. For example, Martian microbes may somehow be derived from the panspermia theory, which Earth is a part of.

“If you discover life on Mars, this is a good diagnosis to understand whether this life is really a second origin, completely independent of life on earth or born out of life on earth. We have to come up with a tool, ”Lingham said. “In the early days of Mars, there was evidence that it was very livable, water was flowing, and the temperature may have been high. In principle, life could have started on Mars first and then died or went underground. But then this life could have spread to earth. In this case, it has an ancestor from Mars. “

Because of Ringham’s work on panspermia, he was hired by Cambridge University Press last year to write a comprehensive book on the subject as part of their prestigious Cambridge Astrobiology series. This book will be published in 2022 or 2023.

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