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Comet probes reveal
evidence of origin of life, - - - One trillion trillion (10 to the power of 24) Public release date: 14-Aug-2007 Cardiff University Comet probes reveal evidence of origin of life, scientists claim http://tinyurl.com/2oezm6 - - - Excerpts: Recent probes inside comets show it is over- whelmingly likely that life began in space, according to a new paper by Cardiff Univer- sity scientists. ... Now the team claims that findings from space probes sent to investigate passing comets reveal how the first organisms could have formed. The 2005 Deep Impact mission to Comet Tem- pel 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. The 2004 Stardust Mission to Comet Wild 2 found a range of complex hydrocarbon mole- cules - potential building blocks for life. The Cardiff team suggests that radioactive ele- ments can keep water in liquid form in comet interiors for millions of years, making them potentially ideal "incubators" for early life. They also point out that the billions of comets in our solar system and across the galaxy con- tain far more clay than the early Earth did. The researchers calculate the odds of life start- ing on Earth rather than inside a comet at one trillion trillion (10 to the power of 24) to one against. ... "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." - - - end excerpts - - -
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