Search for Life in the Universe with terrestrial microbes which Thrive under Extreme Conditions

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 511-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Seckbach
Keyword(s):  
Hot Spring ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Eukaryotic Cell ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Algal Group ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Universe

AbstractIt is reasonable to believe that life exists in many places throughout the Universe. Among the many billions of heavenly bodies, there are galaxies with millions of stars that may harbor lower or even higher forms of living organisms («life» in the meaning as we know it, e.g., carbon chemistry, liquid water etc.). This article lists Extremophiles and their various terrestrial enigmatic environments. We discuss the possibilities of Martian life and the origin and evolution of the eukaryotic cell and present some early protists and the Acidothermophilic algae. Among several microbes which can «fit» for extraterrestrial life, one eukaryotic algal group (Cyanidiophyceae) is treated here. The hot springCyanidium caldariummembers (there are three genera and several species in this family) thrive in excessive growth conditions like in acidic medium (close to IN H2SO4), under pure CO2atmosphere, in elevated temperature and auto or heterotrophic conditions. These hot spring unicellular algae do not require oxygen for such conditions of growth. Studies have shown that they present one of the earliest and simplest eukaryotic algae. Also, these microbes may be candidates for existing on planets with similar ecological conditions which might support life forms.

scholarly journals Commission 51: Search for Extraterrestrial Life

1985 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 713-723
Author(s):  
M. D. Papagiannis ◽  
F. D. Drake ◽  
N. S. Kardashev ◽  
R. D. Brown ◽  
P. Connes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Techniques ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Cosmic Evolution ◽  
Lay People ◽  
The Universe

The possibility that life, primitive or advanced, might exist in other places of the Universe has occupied the minds of scientists and lay-people for thousands of years. It is only in the last 25 years, however, that we have finally begun to search for answers to this profound question using experimental techniques. The goal of Astronomy is to understand the origin and evolution of planets, stars, galaxies and of the Universe as a whole. The appearance of life is an integral part of this whole process and our picture of the Universe will never be complete until we will comprehend also the significance of life in the process of Cosmic Evolution.

scholarly journals BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE IN METEORITES MAY LEAD TO PANSPERMIA ORIGIN OF LIFE

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 235-251
Author(s):  
Y. V. Subba Rao
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Electromagnetic Force ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Biological Molecules ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
The Universe

              The current hypothesis leads to the panspermia origin of life, which is based on the scientific principle of electromagnetic force interaction with matter. Electromagnetic force (Sunlight) interacts with inorganic chemistry available to us given out by the stars in the universe plausibly triggers the formation of extra-terrestrial biological molecules of proto cells under abiotic conditions, as evidenced by their presence in meteorites.' Proto cells’ might theoretically give rise to living organisms with a manifested soul, allowing 'Ribose' to be formed from ice grains hit by sunlight for RNA and DNA at the same time. The presence of life's building blocks and other important organic chemicals like ribose in meteorites, including some microscopic life forms that aren't native to Earth, may have led to the 'Panspermia Origin of Life' and the 'Evolution of Life on Earth' which is evidenced by the definition of 'Meteorites' in Vedic Scriptures, such as the "Bhagavad Gita" (3000 BC) and "Brihat Samhita" (520 AD) that they are the souls of righteous people who have returned to earth to be reborn.

scholarly journals Ethics, Astrobiology & Machine Life: Ethical Considerations for Living Organisms Found Off-Planet or Created: Ideas from Astrobiologists and Computer Scientists

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Helman
Keyword(s):  
Life Forms ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Ethical Guidelines ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Autonomous Machines ◽  
Computer Scientists ◽  
Cultural Ecological ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Ethical Perspectives

Prudence demands a pre-contact appraisal of ethical requirements towards living organisms as planetary science and astrobiology continue to move forward. Likewise, advances in artificial intelligence may mean that it will be necessary to have ethical guidelines in place for machine life. A novel framework for studying complementary ethical perspectives is presented along with results obtained by questionnaire and discussion with astrobiologists and computer scientists currently working in these areas. Outcomes include promoting the work of these professionals and their self-reflection, plus recommendations for policy-makers and relevant lesson plans for the classroom, plus the following inferences: Ethical perspectives based on personal, social, cultural, ecological, or quantitative themes may be orthogonal to each other. Moreover, psychometric analysis can be applied in a way that divides people into groups, and this analysis may create further social division. Technological issues such as the development of autonomous machines or discovering extraterrestrial life forms come with a responsibility that is parallel to the care that creating offspring engenders—and a more global discussion is warranted. Notwithstanding, innovation in information technology is associated with a flowering of imaginative ethical considerations that predate some of the technologies that they address. These imaginative ethics may become superfluous with time, whereas innovations in technology that impact the physical environment more directly often predate the development of relevant ethics. These relevant ethics address challenges only in hindsight. Thus, machine life and extraterrestrial life are likely to have different ethical trajectories.

scholarly journals Defining the envelope for the search for life in the Universe

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 697-698
Author(s):  
Lynn J. Rothschild
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
Theoretical Possibility ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Set Constraints ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
The Universe

AbstractThe search for life in the universe relies on defining the limits for life and finding suitable conditions for its origin and evolution elsewhere. From the biological perspective, a conservative approach uses life on earth to set constraints on the environments in which life can live. Conditions for the origin of life, even on earth, cannot yet be defined with certainty. Thus, we will describe what is known about conditions for the origin of life and limits to life on earth as a template for life elsewhere, with a particular emphasis on such physical and chemical parameters as temperature, pH, salinity, desiccation and radiation. But, other life forms could exist, thus extending the theoretical possibility for life elsewhere. Yet, this potential is not limitless, and so constraints for life in the universe will be suggested.

scholarly journals On the origin and evolution of life in the Galaxy

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael McCabe ◽  
Holly Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
A Value ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Life On Mars ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Present Understanding

AbstractA simple stochastic model for evolution, based upon the need to pass a sequence of n critical steps is applied to both terrestrial and extraterrestrial origins of life. In the former case, the time at which humans have emerged during the habitable period of Earth suggests a value of n=4. Progressively adding earlier evolutionary transitions gives an optimum fit when n=5, implying either that their initial transitions are not critical or that habitability began around 6 Ga ago. The origin of life on Mars or elsewhere within the Solar System is excluded by the latter case and the simple anthropic argument is that extraterrestrial life is scarce in the Universe because it does not have time to evolve. Alternatively, the timescale can be extended if the migration of basic progenotic material to Earth is possible. If extra transitions are included in the model to allow for Earth migration, then the start of habitability needs to be even earlier than 6 Ga ago. Our present understanding of Galactic habitability and dynamics does not exclude this possibility. We conclude that Galactic punctuated equilibrium, proposed as a way round the anthropic problem, is not the only way of making life more common in the Galaxy.

The Cosmic Mystery Tour

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Mee
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Particle Physics ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Galactic Centre ◽  
Red Giants ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Modern Physics ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Universe

The Cosmic Mystery Tour is a brief account of modern physics and astronomy presented in a broad historical and cultural context. The book is attractively illustrated and aimed at the general reader. Part I explores the laws of physics including general relativity, the structure of matter, quantum mechanics and the Standard Model of particle physics. It discusses recent discoveries such as gravitational waves and the project to construct LISA, a space-based gravitational wave detector, as well as unresolved issues such as the nature of dark matter. Part II begins by considering cosmology, the study of the universe as a whole and how we arrived at the theory of the Big Bang and the expanding universe. It looks at the remarkable objects within the universe such as red giants, white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, and considers the expected discoveries from new telescopes such as the Extremely Large Telescope in Chile, and the Event Horizon Telescope, currently aiming to image the supermassive black hole at the galactic centre. Part III considers the possibility of finding extraterrestrial life, from the speculations of science fiction authors to the ongoing search for alien civilizations known as SETI. Recent developments are discussed: space probes to the satellites of Jupiter and Saturn; the discovery of planets in other star systems; the citizen science project SETI@Home; Breakthrough Starshot, the project to develop technologies to send spacecraft to the stars. It also discusses the Fermi paradox which argues that we might actually be alone in the cosmos

Continuity and Peculiarities in Proto-Kazakh and Ancient Indian Early Religious Beliefs

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (121) ◽  
pp. 185-195
Author(s):  
Zatov Zatov
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Religious Knowledge ◽  
Concept Of God ◽  
Common Features ◽  
The World ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Universe

A comparative study of the mythological picture of the world, early forms of religion allows us to identify common features characteristic of the worldview and spiritual guidelines of mankind as a whole. These features can be traced in archaic ideas about the structure of the universe, in understanding their spiritual and bodily essence, the infinity of God and the eternity of the soul, the relationship and interdependence of life forms in the world. This allows us to assert the thesis of the unity of mankind in its spiritual origins, despite racial and ethnic diversity. In the process of a comparative analysis of mythology, early forms of religion, the concept of God, the pantheon and the function of the gods, similar moments and ethnological specifics of understanding the essence of the soul and reincarnation in totemistic beliefs, in cosmological and theogonistic concepts are revealed.The author also analyzes the role and significance of the cult of ancestors, traces the evolution of the idea of proto-monotism (the creative function of Tengri and Brahma, the intention of henotheistic faith) and its place in religious knowledge.

On the parallels between cosmology and astrobiology: a transdisciplinary approach to the search for extraterrestrial life

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Morphy D. Santos ◽  
Leticia P. Alabi ◽  
Amâncio C. S. Friaça ◽  
Douglas Galante
Keyword(s):  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Transdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Copernican Revolution ◽  
Scientific Status ◽  
Intrinsic Complexity ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
The Universe

AbstractThe establishment of cosmology as a science provides a parallel to the building-up of the scientific status of astrobiology. The rise of astrobiological studies is explicitly based on a transdisciplinary approach that reminds of the Copernican Revolution, which eroded the basis of a closed Aristotelian worldview and reinforced the notion that the frontiers between disciplines are artificial. Given the intrinsic complexity of the astrobiological studies, with its multifactorial evidences and theoretical/experimental approaches, multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives are mandatory. Insulated expertise cannot grasp the vastness of the astrobiological issues. This need for integration among disciplines and research areas is antagonistic to excessive specialization and compartmentalization, allowing astrobiology to be qualified as a truly transdisciplinary enterprise. The present paper discusses the scientific status of astrobiological studies, based on the view that every kind of life, Earth-based or not, should be considered in a cosmic context. A confluence between ‘astro’ and ‘bio’ seeks the understanding of life as an emerging phenomenon in the universe. Thus, a new epistemological niche is opened, pointing to the development of a pluralistic vision for the philosophy of astrobiology.

scholarly journals The Origin and Evolution of Language and the Propagation of Organization

1970 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert K. Logan
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
New Media ◽  
Evolution Of Language ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Origin Of Language ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
The Impact

In this presentation we will study propagating organization. We begin by examining the evolution and origin of language by briefly reviewing the impact of the phonetic alphabet (Logan 2004a), the evolution of notated language (Logan 2004b), the origin of language and culture (Logan 2006, 2007), the role of collaboration in knowledge management (Logan and Stokes 2004), the impact of “new media” (Logan in preparation). We will then connect this work to the propagating organization of all living organisms (Kauffman et al. in press) where we will show that information in biotic systems are the constraints that instruct living organisms how to operate. We will demonstrate that instructional or biotic information is quite different than the classical notion of information Shannon developed for addressing engineering problems in telecommunications. We also will show that biosemiosis is in some sense equivalent to propagating organization (Kauffman et al. in press). We then conclude our presentation with the speculation that there exist at least seven levels of biosemiosis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document