How did life on Earth arise and are we alone in the universe? These are two of the biggest questions science can ask and, so far, fail to find an answer for. That is, just maybe, until now. In a just-announced discovery, scientists may have answered both of the questions, are we alone and where did we come from, with a definite solution.
Recently, scientists found the building blocks of DNA, the single molecule responsible for life at the most basic level, on meteorites, which is really nothing new. However, using technology not available in the past, scientists were able to conform that the building blocks of DNA were, more than likely, not of Earthly origin.
So, how did they do this?
The answer lies in an analysis of the nucleobases, the building blocks of the DNA molecule. The fact that scientist have been finding DNA and parts of it on meteorites is nothing new. The real question that has arisen from such findings over the past decades is this: is it Earthly contamination or of extraterrestrial origin? Unfortunately, while technology was able to identify parts of DNA, it could not tell where the DNA came from. Now, such technology does exist, which means that scientists can do an in-depth analysis of each individual nucleobase. Result: two of the meteorites contained nucleobases that are extremely rare on Earth. Also, as further evidence of extraterrestrial origin, none of these rare nucleobases were found in the ice from where the meteorites were found.
Now, what does this all mean?
First of all this is not proof of alien life as there is a chance (remember, these organic compounds do occur on Earth, albeit rarely) that these rare nucleobases could be from Earthly contamination. On the other hand, the new ability to actually analyze the heat-blasted organic molecules can go a long way in separating instances of likely vs. unlikely terrestrial origin.
In the end, there is no definitive way of determining where anything came from so long as what is found on a meteor corresponds to something known to exist on Earth. However, now that we can analyze the tiny pieces of DNA that wind up on meteorites, should something completely unknown turn up, we could only be left with one conclusion: alien life is possible.
For more info:
Space.com
Like this?
Hit the 'subscribe' button for automatic email updates when I write something new!
Want to read more of my stuff? Check out my other Examiner columns!
Photography Examiner
Cleveland Astronomy Examiner
Cleveland Photography Examiner
Want even more? Check out my personal website:
Bodzash Photography and Astronomy
For more space news:
Parade Magazine looks at America' future in space
Dawn 'exceeds wildest expectations'
John Glenn turns 90
Atlantis lands, space shuttle program ends
Comments