Life Could Have Begun in an Interstellar Dust Cloud

submitted by ZephirAWT from arxiv.org

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[–]ZephirAWT[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Possibilities for methanogenic and acetogenic life in molecular cloud The author says that these molecular clouds could sustain life in the form of methanogenic bacteria. There is enough carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen in the clouds to keep the bacteria alive. The paper does not explain, however, how this life came about in the first place.

Life Could Have Begun in an Interstellar Dust Cloud

IMO this theory has bit of truth in the matter that particles of interstellar gas can mediate DNA and RNA fragments from planet to planet and to speed-up/modulate their life evolution in this way. See also:

Is Evolutionary Science Due for an Overhaul 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... a selection of links dedicated to panspermia hypothesis

[–]William_World 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

I think gravity might be important to get the chemical reactions going.

[–]ZephirAWT[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

IMO complex life can evolve only in complex environment, which interstellar cloud definitely doesn't fit. But in the role of life mediation - why not?

[–]William_World 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

i think any kind of life is complex. Anyway I'd have liked the study to have addressed it.

[–]ZephirAWT[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

i think any kind of life is complex. Anyway I'd have liked the study to have addressed it.

Yes, IMO the biochemistry of terrestrial life is too complex for being able to evolve at the Earth from scratch (especially so early after formation of Earth).

Panspermia hypothesis addresses this problem.

[–]William_World 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

not sure that makes sense. panspermia means it originated somewhere not on earth. can't assume that other place is more complex than earth, we simply don't know.

[–]iamonlyoneman 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It could have, maybe, but it didn't. Read your bible.