Life possibly began in space, reveals new study

Life possibly began in space as shown by recent probes inside comets, a new study by scientists from Cardiff University has said.

Washington, Aug 15 : Life possibly began in space as shown by recent probes inside comets, a new study by scientists from Cardiff University has said.

Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and colleagues at the University's Centre for Astrobiology have long argued the case for panspermia - the theory that life began inside comets and then spread to habitable planets across the galaxy.

Now the team has claimed that findings from space probes sent to investigate passing comets have revealed how the first organisms could have formed.

They said 'The 2005 Deep Impact' mission to Comet Tempel 1 discovered a mixture of organic and clay particles inside the comet.

One theory for the origins of life proposes that clay particles acted as a catalyst, converting simple organic molecules into more complex structures.

Incidentally, the 2004 'Stardust Mission' to Comet Wild 2 found a range of complex hydrocarbon molecules - potential building blocks for life.

Prof. Wickramasinghe said radioactive elements could keep water in liquid form in comet interiors for millions of years, making them potentially ideal "incubators" for early life.

He said billions of comets in our Solar System and across the galaxy contain far more clay than the early Earth did. As such, the odds of life starting on Earth rather than inside a comet stood at one trillion trillion (10 to the power of 24) to against one, he said.

"The findings of the comet missions, which surprised many, strengthen the argument for panspermia. We now have a mechanism for how it could have happened. All the necessary elements - clay, organic molecules and water - are there. The longer time scale and the greater mass of comets make it overwhelmingly more likely that life began in space than on earth," said Prof. Wickramasinghe.

The paper, 'The Origin of Life in Comets' is scheduled for publication in the International Journal of Astrobiology.

ANI