Comet probes reveal evidence of origin of life, scientists claim

Recent probes inside comets show it is overwhelmingly likely that life
began in space, according to a new paper by Cardiff University
scientists.

http://theanalystmagazine.com/pr/n312.htm

Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and colleagues at the University's
Centre for Astrobiology have long argued the case for panspermia - the
theory that life began inside comets and then spread to habitable
planets across the galaxy. A recent BBC Horizon documentary traced the
development of the theory. From where can I get the original paper?
Please help

On Aug 16, 7:27 am, wrote:
Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and colleagues at the University's
Centre for Astrobiology have long argued the case for panspermia - the
theory that life began inside comets and then spread to habitable
planets across the galaxy. A recent BBC Horizon documentary traced the
development of the theory. From where can I get the original paper?
Please help

http://www.actionbioscience.org/newf...ick_hoyle.html

On Aug 16, 7:27 am, wrote:
Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and colleagues at the University's
Centre for Astrobiology have long argued the case for panspermia - the
theory that life began inside comets and then spread to habitable
planets across the galaxy. A recent BBC Horizon documentary traced the
development of the theory. From where can I get the original paper?
Please help

This one is more recent than the other reference I posted, might be
what you seek:
http://www.astrobiology.cf.ac.uk/Cryobiology.pdf

wrote:

Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and colleagues at the University's
Centre for Astrobiology have long argued the case for panspermia - the
theory that life began inside comets and then spread to habitable
planets across the galaxy. A recent BBC Horizon documentary traced the
development of the theory. From where can I get the original paper?

Check out your nearest trash can. ;-) Seriously, I don't believe CW and
cronies have ever published such a paper, at least not in a refereed journal.
Until they do, their claim ain't worth a damn...

On Aug 16, 8:09 am, "Ed Holden" wrote:
Check out your nearest trash can. ;-) Seriously, I don't believe CW and
cronies have ever published such a paper, at least not in a refereed journal.
Until they do, their claim ain't worth a damn...

When I get home from the coffee shop I am now at I will check to see
if they have published in a refereed journal. I have access to my
college library of academic journals. We will see if these authors are
legit or not.

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:27:38 -0700, wrote:

Recent probes inside comets show it is overwhelmingly likely that life
began in space, according to a new paper by Cardiff University
scientists.

It will be published in the International Journal of Astrobiology. It's
not often this guy gets something in a peer reviewed journal.

Certainly, there's nothing new to support the idea of life beginning in
space. It remains an unsupported idea on the fringe of what most
believe. Wickramasinghe's arguments are notoriously poor, and he clearly
fails to understand the basics of evolutionary theory. The mere presence
of certain basic materials in comets is hardly a strong argument for
life existing there.

Notably, a paper published several weeks ago in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences demonstrates that bacteria in ice are
degraded by cosmic radiation, and the rate of degradation is such that
bacteria could not survive on comets long enough to seed life on Earth.
This is a very strong argument, with hard evidence, that the panspermia
proponents will have to deal with. I predict they will largely avoid
discussing it.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

On Aug 16, 8:51 am, "
wrote:
When I get home from the coffee shop I am now at I will check to see
if they have published in a refereed journal. I have access to my
college library of academic journals. We will see if these authors are
legit or not.

I found one article by "Wickramasinghe, Chandra" in in an online
search of academic journals using my college library's interface to
"Academic Search Premier"

Citation
Title: The universe: a cryogenic habitat for microbial life.
Authors: Wickramasinghe, Chandra
Source: Cryobiology; Apr2004, Vol. 48 Issue 2, p113, 13p
Document Type: Article
Subject Terms:
*COMETS
*COSMIC grains
*MICROORGANISMS
SOLAR system
Author-Supplied Keywords:
Panspermia
Comets
Interstellar dust
Microorganisms
Abstract:
Panspermia, an ancient idea, posits that microbial life is
ubiquitous in the Universe. After several decades of almost irrational
rejection, panspermia is at last coming to be regarded as a serious
contender for the beginnings of life on our planet. Astronomical data
is shown to be consistent with the widespread distribution of complex
organic molecules and dust particles that may have a biological
provenance. A minuscule (10 21) survival rate of freeze-dried bacteria
in space is all that is needed to ensure the continual re-cycling of
cosmic microbial life in the galaxy. Evidence that terrestrial life
may have come from elsewhere in the solar system has accumulated over
the past decade. Mars is seen by some as a possible source of
terrestrial life, but some hundreds of billions of comets that
enveloped the entire solar system, are a far more likely primordial
reservoir of life. Comets would then have seeded Earth, Mars, and
indeed all other habitable planetary bodies in the inner regions of
the solar system. The implications of this point of view, which was
developed in conjunction with the late Sir Fred Hoyle since the 1970s,
are now becoming amenable to direct empirical test by studies of
pristine organic material in the stratosphere. The ancient theory of
panspermia may be on the verge of vindication, in which case the
entire universe would be a grand crucible of cryomicrobiology.

How to spot a kook: A beginners guide.

wrote:
Panspermia, an ancient idea, posits that microbial life is
ubiquitous in the Universe.

An ancient idea regarding microbial life? Do I need to read any further
than that? At the very least it shows the sloppy thinking of the author.

After several decades of almost irrational
rejection, panspermia is at last coming to be regarded as a serious
contender for the beginnings of life on our planet.

A personal attack against the people who aren't convinced by the
"evidence" presented. That's another obvious tipoff.

Not only that, but the reversed use of the term irrational pretty much
seals the deal. The unwillingness to accept as fact a hypothesis
without any compelling evidence to support it is in fact rational. The
strong belief in said idea without such compelling evidence--that's
irrational.

End of lesson.

If only the panspermia hypothesis itself were as easy to pigeon hole.

--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
Observing: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html
Comets: http://comets.skyhound.com

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