Amino acids found in meteorite, life everywhere?

Originally posted by sonhouse
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120309104845.htm

I posted this first in spiritual to talk about philosophical aspects but maybe it should be here in science.

I don't think the idea that "life" originated in space and effectively "seeded" our planet is new. Without checking I seem to remember Fred Hoyle was an advocate based on noticing complex particles in space. For our own case, it does not seem to be a necessary hypothesis in so far as we can account for life without it. But the idea survives for example in the suggestion that some viruses might be dumped onto us from space - I am not a fan of the idea because I see viruses as just another variant on the evolutionary theme, not some weird alien species. But I have not got the same qualification to comment as its advocates.

Of course just because it is not necesary does not mean it is not one possibility. Certainly at the level of non-biological elements, such as Carbon, then we know they were formed in earlier stars and without them life would be impossible.

It is worth remembering that when life originated here, conditions on Earth would have been intolerable for most current life forms - the early forms of life effectively created the atmosphere we now enjoy. So the existence of living organisms in other environments is not unlikely and if our search is for any life form, not just an evolved and intelligent life, then it allows a much wider range of options. Quote from your source: "When the team began looking for amino acids in carbon-rich meteorites, it was considered somewhat of a long shot, but now: "We would be surprised if we didn't discover amino acids in a carbon-rich meteorite," says Burton."

Once there is life however, in whatever form, then a process has to be allowed by which this can evolve into more complex structures and ultimately acquire intelligence. Our best account of this process would be natural selection and related evolutionary pressures. This must imply quite a complex environment which is certainly not available on a meteorite.

Originally posted by finnegan
I don't think the idea that "life" originated in space and effectively "seeded" our planet is new. Without checking I seem to remember Fred Hoyle was an advocate based on noticing complex particles in space.

It's really quite old - I don't think Fred Hoyle was among the first advocates, even.

But this idea has one fundamental flaw. If life could not have started on this planet, but must have started on another and then come here - how was it possible for life to start on that planet? By moving the source of life elsewhere, all this theory does is move the problem it is supposed to solve elsewhere as well. It's filling one hole by digging another.

Anyway, finding animo acids in meteorites does not prove that there is extraterrestrial life at all, any more than finding iron in meteorites proves that there are extraterrestrial skyscrapers.

Richard

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
It's really quite old - I don't think Fred Hoyle was among the first advocates, even.

But this idea has one fundamental flaw. If life could not have started on this planet, but must have started on another and then come here - how was it possible for life to start on that planet? By moving the source of life elsewhere, all this theory does is ...[text shortened]... han finding iron in meteorites proves that there are extraterrestrial skyscrapers.

Richard

Nobody claimed there was life in a meteorite, just some precursor molecules, amino acids.

Of course it will have to wait till we get a piece of Mars back on Earth to test for life there, doesn't look that is going to happen any time soon now, NASA budget cut about 10%, took out probes that would have returned mars rocks to Earth.

We still get a few meteorites that planetoligists claim came from mars so maybe one of them will show fossil bacteria.

If anything, I think Fred Hoyle was right about how life started on Earth, according to his hypothesis, clouds of amino acids and such went through the Solar system and seeded ALL the planets here with life precursors, not life itself but complex chemicals that kick started life here. The proof of course will be when and if we ever get to Mars or say Europa and find life. I think that will be an exciting time for mankind, say we do find life there, Europa AND Mars and all of those forms were made from DNA like Earthy types.......

Originally posted by sonhouse
Nobody claimed there was life in a meteorite, just some precursor molecules, amino acids.
.......

Well I'm not going to disagree but maybe I was tricked into this phrasing by the title of the thread, which you wrote. 😠

Originally posted by finnegan
Well I'm not going to disagree but maybe I was tricked into this phrasing by the title of the thread, which you wrote. 😠

Yeah, I see the problem. In the title I originally put a question mark at the end but it didn't end up in the title as printed, it was cut off. Sorry. I didn't mean to announce life discovered everywhere in the universe! You can see the question mark in my original wording above.