Draft:Neopanspermia

NEOPANSPERMIA (from Ancient Greek (neo)
'new' (pan) 'all' and (spermia) 'seed' or 'sperm') is version more modern and refined of Paspernia theory. Being relatively new, proposed by the Common Era scientists, the theory suggests that life (or then, the material that originates it) has spread along the solar system and among stars and other galaxies.

Introduction

Neo Panspermia: The Panspermia Theory encompasses a wide variety of theories aimed at explaining the beginning of life on earth based on celestial bodies. The Panspermia theory has emerged for the first time with philosopher Anaxágora Clazômenas, nearly 5th century BCE, and after was resumed with the ideas of Hermann Von Helmholtz and William Thompson, nearly 1879. Accordingly to the search made by Fred Hoyle¹, in the cosmic dust, there were particles of water and carbon (elements considered essential for composition of living beings), and the emitted light spectrums by the cosmic dust were identical or very similar to part of light spectrums emitted by bacterias known today on Earth.

The Neo Panspermia theory is known more modern and refined as Paspernia theory. Being relatively new, proposed by the Common Era scientists, the theory suggests that life (or then, the material that originates it) has spread along the solar system and among stars and other galaxies.

Therefore, this theory shows that life couldn't have a unique local existence, but spreaded on a massive galactic scale and be present on more locals unknown by contemporary humanity. The theory explains that life was transmitted mainly by macromolecules or ultra resistant special components, similar to the extremophiles (living beings that can survive in extremely inhospitable conditions that most other living beings can't survive) or the tardigrades.

The main differences between neo panspermia and panspermia are:

While the Paspermia uses different hypotheses to explain the origin of life on earth from the transfer of living being or precursors in only relatively close distances, the Neo panspermia seeks to explain the origin of life on earth from the transfer of living beings or precursors in relatively long distances, that in many times, they're originating by other stars or galaxies.

The Panspermia has some variations like: Direct Panspermia (starts from an assumption that life comes to earth with your fully composition ready) and Indirect Panspermia (start from the assumption that the complex organic molecules came to earth and gave rise of life on itself).

 ¹WICKRAMASINGHE, Chandra; HOYLE, Fred. A journey with Fred Hoyle: the search for cosmic life. Londres: World Scientific, 2005.

History

The theory of the radiospanspermia proposed by Arrhenius in 1908 assumes that life on Earth may have originated in other parts of the universe as seeds as a means of transport. Those seeds collided with each other and this material reached Earth. This hypothesis attempts to explain how life originated on our planet assuming that life came elsewhere in the universe.

One line of evidence supporting panspermia comes from the discovery of organic matter in meteorites. Murchison and Tagish Lake are meteors that indicate the possibility of organic life originating from somewhere beyond Earth (Pizzarello et al., 1991; Sephton, 2002) These meteorites contain compounds such as glycolaldehyde, urea, cyanamide, and schreibersite(Sutherland, 2016). Additionally the discovery that simple microorganisms, such as bacteria, can survive extreme conditions at temperatures as low as approximately -270°C in space as well as the high temperatures associated with entering Earth's atmosphere supports this hypothesis. Studies have shown that microorganisms can be found at heights above 20 km

Another notable example is the meteorite ALH84001 (Allan Hills)⁵. According to the research led by Andrew Steele and published in the journal Science the compounds in the meteorite originated from Mars during interactions between water and rock that occurred over four billion years ago. According to NASA researcher David McKay, he found evidence inside the rock that raises the hypothesis that it contained life in the past on Mars. This meteorite is theorized to have been ejected from Mars about 17 million years ago and, after a long journey through space, reached Earth about 13,000 years ago. During this journey, this fragment of Martian soil was ejected into space without overheating, possibly allowing microorganisms to survive sheltered within this piece of meteoric debris.

Scientific experiments such as the GEMINI-IX-A mission have also contributed to the consideration of the possibility of life surviving in space. During this mission fungal spores such as Penicillium were exposed at a height of over 150 km for three minutes resulting in the death of all the spores due to ultraviolet radiation. However when the spores were protected from ultraviolet radiation by a layer of dust mimicking the composition of meteoritic debris samples of Bacillus subtilis survived for up to six years. According to the experiment it is believed that ultraviolet radiation is the barrier to the survival of these microorganisms in space. These findings raise questions about the viability of panspermia. Although Arrhenius's initial idea that microorganisms could be blown into space by solar radiation pressure is considered less likely recent discoveries suggest the possibility of a new concept of panspermia known as "Neo Panspermia."

Speculations

Martian meteorites that add evidence: ALH 84001; Yamato 000593; Nakhla; Shergotty; Tissint; Chassigny; EETA79001. These meteorites originated from Mars and arrived on Earth after being ejected by large impacts. They are essential in the understanding of the ancient conditions of the planet from which they came from, especially in comprehending whether or not the red planet can support life. Furthermore, the analysis of these rocks, along with the fact that they traveled through space and withstood extreme conditions before falling to Earth’s soil, strengthens the idea that organic material and possible forms of life can be transported between planets, disseminated through the universe, and reinforces the theory of neo panspermia.

Discovery of organic molecules on Mars

In an exploration conducted in 2018 by the Curiosity over within Gale Crater, organic molecules were detected in samples drilled from a sedimentary rock known as the "Murray Formation," dating back three billion years. These molecules include a variety of complex compounds such as thiophenes, benzenes, toluenes, carbon chains (like propane and butane), and other hydrocarbons. These compounds are associated with chemical processes that could lead to the formation of molecules such as amino acids, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and cofactors. This suggests that the basic building blocks of life may have existed on Mars (Eigenbrode, J. L., et al. 2018).

In relation to panspermia, this discovery supports the theory by indicating that Mars might have had the necessary conditions for the formation of complex molecules. Additionally, the analysis of meteorites such as ALH 84001 (McKay, D. S., et al. 1996), which have shown possible organic compounds and potential signs of life formation, reinforces the idea that these compounds could have spread and been transported between planets via meteorites. This contributes to the conjecture that life or its precursors could have been distributed across planets and is a possible explanation for the origin of life on Earth. (Signs of life on Mars).

Counter Arguments for Neopanspermia

Distance is another obstacle to the conjecture of Neo-Panspermia. This is due to a dual factor: long-distance travel is either impossible or highly unlikely for living beings to survive such conditions, and, similarly, since travel takes time, an interstellar journey could take long enough for life to cease existing on Earth. In this case, the journey could take millions of light-years, and with such a vast space and time scales being astronomical, it is unlikely that these living beings could arrive in time to have an influence on life on Earth or be its precursor. It is more probable to suggest that such beings might, in fact, signify the end of life on Earth rather than being a determining factor for its emergence.In summary, there is also another theory that does not necessarily contradict Neo-Panspermia but explains the contradiction or possibility of life beyond Earth. Specifically, the Fermi Paradox is the apparent contradiction between the high estimates of the probability of extraterrestrial life existing and the lack of evidence for or contact with such life forms or civilizations.The objections to the theory of Neo-Panspermia include its unfalsifiability. The inability to be empirically tested is a significant problem for its conjecture. Without an inductive basis, we cannot have a posteriori knowledge of it being a premise with a valid successor.Following other criticisms, we can point out the lack of justification regarding how this life actually originated. That is, we should note that the problem is "pushed" to another situation that does not correctly explain the origin of life. *How, in fact, did life emerge in this other hypothetical universe or planet?* With this untested premise, it undermines the validity of what was a sufficient condition to support the origin of life on Earth.Other explanations for the lack of contact with other forms of life include the Great Filter theory and the Dark Forest theory, suggesting possibilities that we are either alone in the universe, that the emergence of life is an extraordinary rarity, or that civilizations have not met the requirements pointed out in the paradox. However, to avoid deviating from the main topic, this can be considered another way of thinking about the issue.

Related Theory

Lithopanspermia

Lithopanspermia and the Impact Between Celestial BodiesLithopanspermia is a specific aspect of the panspermia theory, which suggests that life can be distributed throughout space. Lithopanspermia posits that life on Earth may have originated from microorganisms that traveled through space and eventually arrived on our planet, contributing to the emergence of life here. When a meteorite or comet collides with a planet or natural satellite, it can release rock fragments containing microorganisms or organic compounds. If these fragments encounter a favorable environment, the microorganisms may begin to evolve.The most accepted version of the hypothesis within panspermia is lithopanspermia. According to this hypothesis, there were simple, microbial forms of life capable of surviving different types of processes. These processes are: (i) the escape mechanism, which means the ejection of contaminated material from the planet into space; (ii) exposure to inhospitable conditions of space, with an estimated time scale between 1 to 15 million years; and (iii) the landing process, which allows the biological material to be repositioned on the target planet without damage to the microorganisms¹. The principal stages are escape and landing, which involve significant energy exerted on the microorganisms in short periods. Several studies are trying to verify each step². Some parameters, such as vacuum, ultraviolet solar radiation, various components of cosmic radiation, and extreme temperatures, affect the genetic stability of microorganisms in space, causing mutations, DNA damage, and cell inactivation³. Ultraviolet solar radiation is the most lethal factor for the samples; in contrast, low pressure and low temperatures preserve organisms that can handle these conditions⁴. Horneck et al. (2008) investigated the first step (i) of lithopanspermia by exposing spores of Bacillus subtilis, thalli, and ascocarps from the lichen Xanthoria elegans to pressure shocks in the range of 5 to 40 Giga Pascals. Their results confirmed that biological material can be successfully ejected from planets. The third step can be evidenced by meteorite ALH 84001 (McKay et al., 1996)⁵, where organic molecules and fossils were found, demonstrating reentry (iii).

Opposing Hypotheses

There are opposing hypotheses that challenge the theory of lithopanspermia, including: (i) the low probability of biological material being preserved after the initial impact, (ii) although extremophiles can survive extreme conditions, the likelihood of surviving for millions of years under these conditions is low, and (iii) even if the celestial body containing biological material has some resistance to atmospheric reentry, the heat generated presents a significant risk to the preservation of living organisms. Therefore, the lack of direct evidence for the theory of lithopanspermia makes the plausibility of this hypothesis as an origin of life difficult.

References

1. Jeff Secker (Washington State University), Paul S. Wesson, James R. Lepock (University of Waterloo), 26 Jul 1996, "Astrophysical and Biological Constraints on Radiopanspermia", https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9607139

2. Ram L. Levy, Michael A. Grayson, Clarence J. Wolf, "The Organic Analysis of the Murchison Meteorite", March 1973, Pages 467-483, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/001670377390

3. Sandra Pizzarello, Yongsong Huang, Luann Becker, Robert J. Poreda, Ronald A. Nieman, George Cooper, and Michael Williams, "The Organic Content of the Tagish Lake Meteorite, 23 Aug 2001, https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1062614

4. A. Steele, L.G. Benning, R. Wirth, A. Schreiber, T. Araki, F.M. McCubbin, M.D. Fries, L.R. Nittler, J. Wang, L. J. Hallis, P. G. Conrad, C. Conley, S. Vitale, A. C. O'Brien, V. Riggi, K. Rogers, "85th Annual Meeting of The Meteoritical Society 2022", https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2022/pdf/6533.pdf

5. David S. McKay, Everett K. Gibson, Jr., Kathie L. Thomas-Keprta, Hojatollah Vali,

Christopher 5. Romanek, Simon J. Clemett, Xavier D. F. Chillier, Claude R. Maechling, and

Richard N. Zare, "Search for Past Life on Mars: Possible Relic Biogenic Activity in Martian Meteorite ALH84001", https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.273.5277.924

6. Peter R. Lorenz, John Hotchin, Aletha 5. Markusen, Gert B. Orlob, Curtis L. Hemenway, and Douglas S. Hallgren, (Received 12 October 1967), https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00924234

7. "Yamato, 000593", 2024, The Astromaterials Acquisition And Curator Office NASA, http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/antmet/mmc/Y000593.pdf

8. Lunar And Planetary Institute, "The Meteoritical Bulletin", 2011,

https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=54823

9. "NASA ETA79001a", PMD, https://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/antmet/mmc/eeta 79001.pdf 10. Eigenbrode, J. L., et al. (2018). "Organic matter preserved in 3-billion-year-old mudstones at Gale crater, Mars." Science, 360(6393), 1096-1101,

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29880683/

11. McKay, D. S., et al. "Search for past life on Mars: Possible relic biogenic activity in Martian meteorite ALH84001." Science 273.5277 (1996): 924-930,

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.273.5277.924

12. Milton de Souza Mendonça Junior, May 2005,

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Milton-Mendonca-2/publication/277291968 Astroecologia_-_a_ecologia_val_para_o_espaco_estudar_as_metabiosferas/links /5565ee5b08aefcb861d19326/Astroecologia-a-ecologia-vai-para-o-espaco-estudar-as -metabiosferas.pdf

13. G. Horneck, R. Facius, M. Reichert, P. Rettberg, W. Seboldt, D. Manzey, B. Comet, A. Maillet, H. Preiss, L. Schauer, C.G. Dussap, L. Poughon, A. Belyavin, G. Reitz, C. Baumstark-Khan, R. Gerzer, June 2003,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117703005684#bBIB19

14. Burchell et al., 2004; Cockell et al., 2007; Stoffler et al., 2007; Horneck et al., 2001b; Horneck et al., 2008; Moeller et al., 2008a; De la Torre et al., 2009; Fajardo-Cavazos et al.,

2005; Fajardo-Cavazos et al., 2009,

https://conhecer.org.br/ojs/index.php/biosfera/article/view/4383 15. Horneck, 1999,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0027510799001335