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COSMOZOIC

The Theory of Panspermia (also known as the Cosmozoa Theory) proposes that life originated elsewhere in the universe and was spread to Earth via meteoroids and asteroids. Proposed by Hermann Richter in 1865, it suggests that microorganisms from other planets were able to survive harsh space conditions and infections Earth, where they were able to grow and evolve into the diverse lifeforms that exist today. However, this theory does not explain the initial origin of life or how microorganisms first developed the ability to survive space travel. While evidence of organic molecules has been found on meteorites, the Panspermia Theory remains unproven and controversial.

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304 views4 pages

COSMOZOIC

The Theory of Panspermia (also known as the Cosmozoa Theory) proposes that life originated elsewhere in the universe and was spread to Earth via meteoroids and asteroids. Proposed by Hermann Richter in 1865, it suggests that microorganisms from other planets were able to survive harsh space conditions and infections Earth, where they were able to grow and evolve into the diverse lifeforms that exist today. However, this theory does not explain the initial origin of life or how microorganisms first developed the ability to survive space travel. While evidence of organic molecules has been found on meteorites, the Panspermia Theory remains unproven and controversial.

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leah
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Cosmozoic or Interplanetary Theory as put forward by Richter states that life had

reached the earth from some other heavenly body in the form of resistant spores of
simple organisms in meteorites or in spaceships. Upon finding fertile soil here, the
theory goes, they grew and then evolved into the various existing forms.
The cosmozoic theory is that life on earth originated in outer space.
It is tells that some spores came from the universe to earth containing life.Then the
creatures formed.
But this theory disputed .

It is also called panspermia theory,given by Richter in 1865.acording to him life on


earth came from a distint planet in the form of spores or micro-organisms.It was
preserved inside meteorites.These meteorites struck the barren earth to release the
cosmozoa and helped in development of various creatures.But it faild to explain
the origin of life on those distant planets.

1. 2. The Theory of Panspermia (Cosmozoa):Life from Outer Space


(Interplanetary Theory)The Theory of Panspermia or Theory of Cosmozoa
wasproposed by Hermann E. Richter in 1865 and supported by
Arrhenius(1908) and the molecular biologist, J.D./Watson, of theDNA
fame.The Cosmozoa Hypothesis proposed that life was "brought"to the
primitive earth from cosmic bodies (in meteorites orin spaceships). The
primitive bacteria arid othermicroorganisms "arrived" here as
spores transported bymeteorites. Finding fertile soil here, they grew
and thenevolved into the various existing forms. The theory is alsocalled
theory of panspermia or spore theory.It further assumes that the spores of
organisms areresistant and are not affected by the great amounts ofheat,
cold, radiation that a meteorite encounters when ittravels in space.

2. 3. Among meteorites investigated by scientists for signsof life are the


carbonaceous chondrites. They arerocks containing 1 to 2% carbon by
mass. Fragmentsof chondrites, believed to be 4.5 billion year-old,
werecollected from southern Australia in 1969. Theycontain more than 80
amino acids. Some of them aresimilar to those produced in Urey-Miller
apparatus(Fig. 23.8). They are not contaminated by aminoacids of the
earth because they contain equalamounts of D (dextro) and L (levo)
isomers. Amajority of organisms on Earth make use of only Lisomers.
Therefore the amino acids which reached theEarth through meteorites like
chondrites, could haveadded to the "primitive broth". However,
theycontributed very little.This theory assumes that life exists elsewhere in
theUniverse. It explains only the appearance of life onearth. It does not
explain its origin. It does not alsoexplain how life could have originated
else-where.

3. 4. This theory states that “the origin oforganisms in the earth comes from
“lifespore” that comes from the outer spaces”.

4. 5. The condition of the outer spaces is drying with very cold temperature
and the presence of radiation. The condition like this causes organisms
can’t survive. Finally “life spore” arrives to the earth

5. 6. This theory can’t accepted by many people.

Panspermia (from Ancient Greek πᾶν (pan), meaning 'all', and σπέρμα (sperma),
meaning 'seed') is the hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe, distributed by
space dust,[1] meteoroids,[2] asteroids, comets,[3] planetoids,[4] and also by spacecraft
carrying unintended contamination by microorganisms.[5][6][7] Distribution may have
occurred spanning galaxies, and so may not be restricted to the limited scale of solar
systems.[8][9]
Panspermia hypotheses propose (for example) that microscopic life-forms that can
survive the effects of space (such as extremophiles) can become trapped in debris
ejected into space after collisions between planets and small Solar System bodies that
harbor life.[10][11] Some organisms may travel dormant for an extended amount of time
before colliding randomly with other planets or intermingling with protoplanetary disks.
Under certain ideal impact circumstances (into a body of water, for example), and ideal
conditions on a new planet's surfaces, it is possible that the surviving organisms could
become active and begin to colonize their new environment. At least one report finds
that endospores from a type of Bacillus bacteria found in Morocco can survive being
heated to 420 °C (788 °F), making the argument for Panspermia even stronger.[12]
Panspermia studies concentrate not on how life began, but on the methods that may
cause its distribution in the Universe.[13][14][15]
Pseudo-panspermia (sometimes called "soft panspermia" or "molecular panspermia")
argues that the pre-biotic organic building-blocks of life originated in space, became
incorporated in the solar nebula from which planets condensed, and were further—and
continuously—distributed to planetary surfaces where life then emerged
(abiogenesis).[16][17] From the early 1970s, it started to become evident that interstellar
dust included a large component of organic molecules. Interstellar molecules are
formed by chemical reactions within very sparse interstellar or circumstellar clouds of
dust and gas.[18] The dust plays a critical role in shielding the molecules from the
ionizing effect of ultraviolet radiation emitted by stars.[19]
The chemistry leading to life may have begun shortly after the Big Bang, 13.8 billion
years ago, during a habitable epoch when the Universe was only 10 to 17 million years
old. Though the presence of life is confirmed only on the Earth, some scientists think
that extraterrestrial life is not only plausible, but probable or inevitable. Probes and
instruments have started examining other planets and moons in the Solar System and
in other planetary systems for evidence of having once supported simple life, and
projects such as SETI attempt to detect radio transmissions from possible
extraterrestrial civilizations.

the Panspermia theory (Mudie & Brotherton, 2004). This theory


states that life arrived on earth from elsewhere, namely outer space,
and that it could’ve happened over a period of time on different
occasions (Chidrawi & Hollis, 2008).

Scientists believe that Earth used to be heavily bombarded with


meteorites during the early years of earth’s formation (Mudie &
Brotherton, 2004). It was possible that the meteorites that fell on
Earth could have contributed organic molecules required by living
systems (Mudie & Brotherton, 2004). Russian and American space
probes have provided evidence of life from our solar system including
the materials on meteorites and comets with organic molecules on
them (Chidrawi & Hollis, 2008). An example of a certain type of
meteorite was the ‘carbonaceous chondrites’. It was found to contain
organic molecules, including amino acids (Mudie & Brotherton,
2004).
Though this is heaps of evidence it is not enough evidence to prove or
disprove it, this is also because that there is no chance of survival for
travel further in space than we have recently reached (Chidrawi &
Hollis, 2008). In 1865 some other contemporary scientists including
Hermann E. Richter followed by Arrhenius in 1908 proposed and
argued this idea as well (TutorVista, 2014)

For more information on the Panspermia Theory watch this video…

People may say that the materials found on meteorites did not cause
life on earth, but they cannot deny however that there is no possibility
of life out there in space. As it has been said before, there is not
enough evidence to prove nor disprove the Panspermia theory but
what the research for this theory has done, is it has given us a starting
point to explore and discover what might be out there in outer space.

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