[ExI] Chemical Origins of Life (was Re: Panbiogenesis)

[Kelly Anderson]

2012/2/4 Stefano Vaj <stefano.vaj at gmail.com>:
> On 4 February 2012 15:22, Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:
>>

>> The solar system is probably insufficient, unless we have clear
>> evidence of multiple independant origins within this very
>> system (improbable due to crosscontamination).
>
>  So, if we find procaryotes on Mars, you think we should assume it is a
> terrestrial contamination? :-/

According to one hypothesis, Mars was inhabitable prior to earth being
so, and that life may have come here from there. Not exactly
intelligent panspermia, but at least another of MANY hypothesis. We do
have meteorites that we believe have come from Mars that were found in
Antarctica. If it does take more than 100,000,000 million years to
build prokaryotes, that would be one somewhat plausible scenario. That
gives you a bit more time, especially considering that first life was
almost certainly independent of the necessity of sunlight.

Question... we have found martian rocks in Antarctica. Have we found
moon rocks there too? Seems more probable, but I've never heard of
such a thing. ... some time later... that Mr. Google is a smart
fellow...
http://meteorites.wustl.edu/lunar/moon_meteorites.htm
Seems the answer is yes, but strangely moon meteors are apparently not
more common than mars meteors. There are about 150 of them known, and
many have fascinating stories. One is even believed to have come from
the moon in the last several hundred years. That's pretty cool to this
ex-Hoosier.

-Kelly