What is panspermia theory?

Life is still a great mystery to science; After all, why do we exist and who created us? These are just a few of humanity’s fundamental questions, and something that will likely remain a mystery forever. Despite this, scientists, experts in the field, and even conspiracists have proposed some options for how life could arise on Earth.

According to some researchers, It is possible that life as we know it did not begin exactly on Earth, but in another part of the universe.. The theory of panspermia suggests that human origins may be in another region of space, possibly thousands of light-years away from Earth. The idea is that “seeds of life” reached Earth billions of years ago via meteors, comets, and even spacecraft.

For a long time, the theory of panspermia was rejected by the most skeptical scientists, but in recent years it has begun to receive more attention. To date, we do not know the true origin of the emergence of humans and animals. Some academics do not rule out the possibility that ‘seeds of life’ may have come to Earth through a near or distant cosmic object.

“One answer long considered but often quickly dismissed is to receive renewed attention and a little more respect. This suggests panspermia, the sharing of life from one planet to another via meteors or transport via comets. The question often asked in this context is whether Earth could have been seeded with early life from Mars (if it existed). Mars, it is increasingly accepted, was probably more habitable than Earth in its early stages. But panspermia inherently can go the other way, possibly even occurring between solar systems,” explains NASA.

TecMundo gathered information from experts and scientists in the field to try to explain a little more what the theory of panspermia is. Check out!

What is panspermia?

It is important to clarify that the ‘seeds of life’ mentioned in the text are not literally seeds, but will actually be essential components for the development of life as we know it. The theory explains that these components can be found in some places in space and spread to other parts of the universe via comets, meteors, cosmic dust, among other ways.

While the hypothesis that life on Earth arose via organic molecules or microorganisms transported from space is intriguing, it challenges the theory that life evolved directly on the planet. Therefore, many scientists still oppose this theory, but there are also those who evaluate this possibility and seek new answers to this possibility.

According to experts on the subject, there are three specific types of panspermia:

Directed panspermia

Directed panspermia suggests that life on Earth arose after the emergence of these ‘seeds of life’. transported from space via spacecraft belonging to an advanced extraterrestrial civilization.

Therefore, it was claimed that the organisms necessary for life were sent by aliens to different planets such as Earth in order to ensure the development of life. As you can imagine, this is the hypothesis most criticized by scientists since there is no evidence for the existence of extraterrestrials.

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radiopanspermia

Radiopanspermia suggests that life on our planet may have arisen via microorganisms or organic molecules carried to Earth by cosmic radiation.

Theoretically, these microorganisms can resist radiation and survive in space until they reach planets and initiate various biological processes. However, this theory is not widely accepted by the scientific community.

cosmic panspermia

Today, cosmic panspermia is considered the most accepted and most studied theory by scientists who know the subject. This suggests that life on Earth arrived via comets, meteorites, asteroids, or cosmic dust containing microorganisms or organic molecules.

Since the emergence of this material, Earth has been able to use the materials necessary to develop life as we know it.

The future of panspermia

In a study published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Microbiology, researchers from Japan’s University of Tokyo discovered that a bacterium can survive in space for up to eight years.. This information confirms the possibility that microorganisms can resist the space environment, strengthening the theory of panspermia.

Although eight years is not enough time for a long space journey, the result represents a scientific advance that encourages astronomers to continue searching for the origin of life.

“The origin of life on Earth is mankind’s greatest mystery, and scientists can have completely different perspectives on it. Some believe that life is very rare and occurs only once in the Universe, while others believe that life can form on any suitable planet. “If panspermia is possible, life should exist much more frequently than we previously thought,” said Akihiko Yamagishi, a professor and study researcher at the University of Tokyo.

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