Could life on Mars have come from Earth?

[seeder]

I dithered about posting this on the ET forums...but, if the article has any truth I guess it is ET related, Im sure the mods will decide.

So, we have all heard of panspermia on Earth...OK. Now, what if it worked the other way round too? What if Earth seeded other planets? See what the BBC said

Dinosaur asteroid 'sent life to Mars'

The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have catapulted life to Mars and the moons of Jupiter, US researchers say.

They calculated how many Earth rocks big enough to shelter life were ejected by asteroids in the last 3.5bn years. The Chicxulub impact was strong enough to fire chunks of debris all the way to Europa, they write in Astrobiology.

Thousands of potentially life-bearing rocks also made it to Mars, which may once have been habitable, they add.

"Any missions to search for life on Titan or the moons of Jupiter will have to consider whether biological material is of independent origin, or another branch in Earth's family tree."

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-25201572

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Edited December 11, 2013 by seeder

[bison]

It's possible that life on Mars seeded life on Earth. Mars presumably cooled to a life-friendly temperature sooner than our planet, being far less massive. As the study referred to shows, more rocks travel inward through the solar system than outward. Mars gravity is substantially less than that of Earth, which further favors material being blasted off it, and onto Earth.

[scowl]

Why can't both planets seed life to each other multiple times?

[seeder]

Yeh it would be very confusing wouldn't it - if we ever did find evidence of life nearby...and traced it back to earth organisms...

[spacelizard667]

I seriously doubt that there is any real credence or merit to this science report.

[seeder]

I seriously doubt that there is any real credence or merit to this science report.

Like what may I ask? That we were not hit by a massive asteroid? And that chunks could not have been blown into space?

[Spacenut56]

I dithered about posting this on the ET forums...but, if the article has any truth I guess it is ET related, Im sure the mods will decide.

So, we have all heard of panspermia on Earth...OK. Now, what if it worked the other way round too? What if Earth seeded other planets? See what the BBC said

Dinosaur asteroid 'sent life to Mars'

The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have catapulted life to Mars and the moons of Jupiter, US researchers say.

They calculated how many Earth rocks big enough to shelter life were ejected by asteroids in the last 3.5bn years. The Chicxulub impact was strong enough to fire chunks of debris all the way to Europa, they write in Astrobiology.

Thousands of potentially life-bearing rocks also made it to Mars, which may once have been habitable, they add.

"Any missions to search for life on Titan or the moons of Jupiter will have to consider whether biological material is of independent origin, or another branch in Earth's family tree."

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-25201572

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I would agree, that that assumption could be entirely true about Earth "seeding" other planets as well as them seeding us..

[scowl]

Like what may I ask? That we were not hit by a massive asteroid? And that chunks could not have been blown into space?

Have any experiments shown that the seeds of life can survive in the harsh conditions of outer space for months or years? I haven't kept up with this.

[Hazzard]

Have any experiments shown that the seeds of life can survive in the harsh conditions of outer space for months or years? I haven't kept up with this.

The best candidates to act as “seeds of life” are bacterial spores, which allow bacteria to remain in a dormant state in the absence of nutrients. Bacteria constitute about one-third of Earth’s biomass and are characterized by their ability to survive under extreme conditions—those that we initially believed were unable to support life. In light of panspermia, the important question is if bacteria or bacterial spores could survive in space.

More here - http://scienceinsociety.northwestern.edu/content/articles/2008/research-digest/student-papers/panspermia/origin-of-life-the-panspermia-theory

[seeder]

The best candidates to act as “seeds of life” are bacterial spores, which allow bacteria to remain in a dormant state in the absence of nutrients. Bacteria constitute about one-third of Earth’s biomass and are characterized by their ability to survive under extreme conditions—those that we initially believed were unable to support life. In light of panspermia, the important question is if bacteria or bacterial spores could survive in space.

More here - http://scienceinsoci...nspermia-theory

and in case the article isnt read, another quote -

From the article

To address this question, scientists at the German Aerospace Centre in Cologne designed experiments using the Russian FOTON satellite. They mixed bacterial spores with particles of clay, red sandstone, Martian meteorite or simulated Martian soil to make small lumps a centimeter across. The lumps were then exposed via the satellite to outer space.

After two weeks of exposure, researchers found that nearly all of the bacterial spores mixed with red sandstone were able to survive. Another study showed that bacterial spores could survive the extreme conditions of outer space for six years if they were protected from extraterrestrial solar UV radiation. This would be possible if the spores traveled within comets or meteorites.

However, interplanetary distances are large, so the time a bacterial spore would have to spend in a meteorite or comet before hitting a host planet could range in the millions of years. Two studies involving the isolation of bacterial spores, either from the abdomen of extinct bees preserved in amber or from a brine inclusion in an old salt crystal from the Permian Salado formation, suggest that bacterial spores can remain viable for up to 250 million years. Thus, bacterial spores could potentially account for life on earth.

[scowl]

Six years isn't a lot of time for space travel. Having them hide inside meteorites for hundreds of years is possible but that would require some luck, especially since we're talking about a violent explosion that put them there.

The bacterial spores in the Permian Salado formation sound like they were protected from the elements which is the opposite of outer space. I certainly believe that you can protect spores and even viruses in amber.

[spacelizard667]

So microbes or bacteria would seem somehow to be the superior life forms and don't necessarily need a spacesuit to survive that journey ? Then why are we spending millions of tax dollars, instead of transforming into bacterial hybrids, to prove that humans are the dominant lifeforms ? I still say that is nutty.

Edited December 11, 2013 by spacelizard667

[seeder]

Humans in space need life support, food, heat and water... microbes...by their very name being a microscopic organism... dont require the same. Heck some live deep inside rocks and get all the stuff they need right there

have you heard of Endoliths?

quote:

An endolith is an organism (archaeum, bacterium, fungus, lichen, algae or amoeba) that lives inside rock, coral, animal shells, or in the pores between mineral grains of a rock. Many are extremophiles, living in places previously thought inhospitable to life. They are of particular interest to astrobiologists, who theorize that endolithic environments on Mars and other planets constitute potential refugia for extraterrestrial microbial communities.

As water and nutrients are rather sparse in the environment of the endolith, they have a very slow reproduction cycle. Early data suggests that some only engage in cell division once every hundred years. In August 2013 researchers reported evidence of endoliths in the ocean floor with a generation time of 10,000 years. Most of their energy is spent repairing cell damage caused by cosmic rays or racemization, and very little is available for reproduction or growth. It is thought that they weather long ice ages in this fashion, emerging when the temperature in the area warms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endolith

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Edited December 12, 2013 by seeder

[Chris374]

Or life on Earth comes from Mars... maybe that's more true?

In my mind I think life is everywhere in the unviverse and comes with water and oxygen.

[IBelieveWhatIWant]

Like what may I ask? That we were not hit by a massive asteroid? And that chunks could not have been blown into space?

Well there is another thesis to how the dinosaurs died, they died from the Deccan Traps erupting causing the air and water to become uninhabitable, also possibly what Chris374 said. Life could have come from Mars to Earth so testing any microbes from Mars could very well give off a Earth reading but they could still be originally from Mars.

It is well known that Mars was like Earth millions of years ago, not a stretch to say Earth was "seeded" by Mars.

[LimeGelatin]

Or, did the Annunaki plant an "Alien Ant Farm" right here on this planet? -I like my question better...

[scowl]

Most of their energy is spent repairing cell damage caused by cosmic rays or racemization, and very little is available for reproduction or growth.

Where are these animals on Earth getting bombarded with the levels of cosmic rays they would experience in outer space?

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Or life on Earth comes from Mars... maybe that's more true?

There is growing evidence that Mars was suitable for life before Earth, so this is indeed possible, however we know that life existed on Earth 65 million years ago and we know that there was a massive impact at that time, so it is fair to theorise that the Chicxulub impact sent life to Mars.

Some scientists belkieve that the moons of Jupiter and Saturn could have been seeded with life from Earth and/or Mars in the same way (see here: Did Life Hitch a Ride?)

In my mind I think life is everywhere in the unviverse and comes with water and oxygen.

The oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is a bi-product of life. Life doesn't come with oxygen (nor does it need it) but oxygen can come from life.

Where are these animals on Earth getting bombarded with the levels of cosmic rays they would experience in outer space?

There aren't any.

The thing is we aren't talking about complex animals (or even plants), we are talking about simple single celled life which CAN survive in those harsh conditions.

[scowl]

There aren't any.

The thing is we aren't talking about complex animals (or even plants), we are talking about simple single celled life which CAN survive in those harsh conditions.

The Wikipedia article is confusing because it specifically says they can repair damage from cosmic rays, yet it says nothing about where this has been seen.

It sounds like the article is yelling "They can survive in space!!!" when we don't really know that.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

The Wikipedia article is confusing because it specifically says they can repair damage from cosmic rays, yet it says nothing about where this has been seen.

It sounds like the article is yelling "They can survive in space!!!" when we don't really know that.

Your two mistakes here are:

1. assuming that wikipedia is a good source of in depth research findings
   
2. assuming that because YOU find something confusing means that NO ONE knows the answer
   

I'm afraid both these assumptions are false.

A quick Google search brings up these scientific articles:

Survival of bacteria exposed to extreme acceleration: implications for panspermia an article describing how simple life can survive the acceleration and decelerations involved.

How do one-celled organisms survive dormancy? An article describing how micro-organisms can survive in a vacuum and high levels of UV radiation

Eight-Legged Space Survivor Gives 'Panspermia' New Life an article on how a more complex creature, the tardigrade, can survive in space.

I found these three articles in under three minutes, if I had the time and the inclination I have no doubt I could find many more.

[highdesert50]

The water on Earth is largely the result of comet collisions. These same comets were colliding with Mars. It's probable Earth, Mars, and other planets were concurrently seeded with organics and prebiotic chemicals from these collisions. More complex life was sustained and evolved where conditions were optimal.

[seeder]

The water on Earth is largely the result of comet collisions. These same comets were colliding with Mars. It's probable Earth, Mars, and other planets were concurrently seeded with organics and prebiotic chemicals from these collisions. More complex life was sustained and evolved where conditions were optimal.

Where did the Earth's oceans come from? Most scientists think they came from water-rich asteroids and comets raining down on the planet in its youth.

But now planetary scientists in Japan suggest the oceans were actually "home-grown" - they may have formed because the young Earth had a thick blanket of hydrogen, which reacted with oxides in the Earth's mantle to form lakes and seas.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12693-earths-water-brewed-at-home-not-in-space.html#.UqsmLicf7XQ

[scowl]

Your two mistakes here are:assuming that wikipedia is a good source of in depth research findings

Your first mistake: thinking that I ever said that Wikipedia is a good source of in depth research findings after someone cut and pasted directly from this article.

assuming that because YOU find something confusing means that NO ONE knows the answer

Your second mistake: thinking that I said NO ONE knows the answer. If I thought that, why would I be wasting my time here, Sherlock?

Survival of bacteria exposed to extreme acceleration: implications for panspermia an article describing how simple life can survive the acceleration and decelerations involved.

No mention of cosmic radiation.

][/b]How do one-celled organisms survive dormancy? An article describing how micro-organisms can survive in a vacuum and high levels of UV radiation

No mention of cosmic radiation.

][/b]Eight-Legged Space Survivor Gives 'Panspermia' New Life an article on how a more complex creature, the tardigrade, can survive in space.

No mention of cosmic radiation. Did you not understand the question?

I found these three articles in under three minutes, if I had the time and the inclination I have no doubt I could find many more.

I spent far more time looking for how they would survive cosmic radiation and came up with zilch. Maybe someone who knows something besides Google can answer my question?

[Duchess Gummybuns]

I can imagine a T-Rex wearing swimming trunks, sunglasses, holding some can of soda, riding a chunk of meteor in space.

Of course, he'd be the only one who discovered how to survive in space long enough to reach Mars.

A bun can dream, right?