Monday, February 16, 2015

Ice or Aliens?

Scientists have recently recreated interstellar ice, found to constitute most of the matter comprising the dense molecular clouds that lead to planetary and star formation. Within the ice, many simple sugars are formed with some help from ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays, glycolaldehyde and glyceraldehyde being the two most important. What is their significance? These simple sugars are the backbone in the formation of nucleotides. As we now know, nucleotides serve as building blocks in the creation of DNA and RNA.
According to the LiveScience.com article, this explains that a comet colliding with early Earth and leaving these sugars behind, could have lead to the formation of complex life and eventually humans. Shifting now, from what we already know to speculation of the unknown, what could this mean? These new discoveries could mean that another life form exists somewhere in the universe. After all, if a comet carrying simple sugars suspended in ice is the source of our existence, what's to say this same mechanism hasn't created other societies of complex life?

3 comments:

  1. This insight is very revolutionary as it provides people with an explanation as to how exactly DNA and RNA formed, which is where the theory of evolution usually lacks a definite cause. This discovery offers a very logical explanation, and although it is not completely certain, it is not completely uncertain either. What makes it more interesting is the fact that if this is the mechanism with which life formed, then it is very possible that there may be other forms of life out there. That in itself is truly mind-blowing.

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  2. Indeed it is, after reading I couldn't help but imagine all of the possibilities floating around on ice in space. It is very possible that given the right conditions, these nucleotides could repeat history (if they haven't already), and create other self sustaining life-forms!

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  3. This is very interesting, the fact that this simple concept could mean that there is life some where else out there. Because he basic explanation of how DNA is made is all there, so it is very likely that there is lifeforms some where else and that is so cool to think of!

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