Think about it. Hopefully over the next few billion years, humans (or whatever takes our place after the "great extinction") will strive to propagate to other worlds as our sun nears the end of her life, making life here on Earth unsustainable.
Maybe DNA arrived here from another world, sent by "aliens", in hope of recreating an image of themselves on other planets as their own planet disintegrated.
I'm not saying that life didn't evolve here from the beginning, or elsewhere....but are there not other possibilities? I mean, that is what "we" will do within 50 billion years, right? Stephen Hawkings is advocating for that even now!
2007-01-22 07:45:18 · 16 answers · asked by powhound 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
A better question:
Why are the religious people here in Science and Astronomy? If you don't believe in science, please keep your nose out of science questions.
2007-01-22 08:19:30 · update #1
It's not that outlandish an idea, though it's a bit *more* outlandish when you say "aliens planted DNA here" rather than "the molecules that could form DNA arrived naturally, via comet or otherwise" :)
Trouble is, there is no proof of the idea. It *might* be true, but until there's proof it's just an interesting idea, nothing more. There *is* proof that live evolved here on this planet from simple organic molecules -- given what is provable right now, there's no need for an alien source of DNA...so any proof would have to show why there was a need for alien DNA.
Pure speculation, but there's nothing wrong with that as long as you understand that's what it is :)
2007-01-22 09:33:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It seems logical to think that life may have been intentionally or unintentionally propagated on this planet from another world.
Whether you believe in divine intervention or evolution matters not.
Like they said in the movie Contact, if there are billions of planets and only one of them has the ability to sustain life, it seems like an awful big waste of space.
And if you think God created the earth and heavens in seven days, two things for you:
1) You should not take the "seven days" thing as a literal translation. What is a "day" to God? He could certainly have taken much longer and there was no one there to watch his schedule or deadlines.
2) Do you think that God would only do the one planet if he created it all? Why would he not have created a few others to see how they thrive, almost like an experiment. When He didn't like what was going on, just smash an asteroid into it, or cause a 40year flood or such and start fresh.
I think you can believe in God and still believe that alien planets exist with life on them. You can debate whether God created us on this planet or God created us elsewhere and then that species sent the life cycle here in another forum.
2007-01-22 08:32:38 · answer #2 · answered by SteveN 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
NPR's Science Friday had an article that reported that it is likely that the first organic material was probably brought here by comets; our planet did not have the right conditions for creating non-living organic compounds, which some believe became self-replicating and began the life process on Earth.
Life has to have other life to survive. So if it did come from off-earth, did it come as a package, with biodiversity built in?
2007-01-22 07:51:56 · answer #3 · answered by Hal H 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Considering 99% of matter making up the Earth came from other stars before the Sun even shone, I wouldn't be surprised. I like to think things on Earth were just right for our own unique brand of life to evolve, following normal physicals laws, and if any other life appeared elsewhere, it would be indistinguishable from what we find here. Same universe, same laws.
2016-03-29 09:21:18 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course there are other such possibilities - theres practically an infinite amount of space out there, more than any human can imagine. If there isn't life out on another planet - or "aliens" - then it would be a complete waste of space. I think it's kind of cocky to think that, out of hundreds or thousands (or even millions) of possible planets, Earth is the only one that sustains life.
That said - if there is life on another planet, then we would be "aliens" to them.
2007-01-22 07:50:20 · answer #5 · answered by Sailor Jupiter 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in like 5 billion years the Sun explodes
anyway, the Earth itself is alien origin.
the best science guessing says that amino acids were made from lightning strikes
2007-01-22 07:50:15 · answer #6 · answered by kurticus1024 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it's possible. I have a theory that "angels" and "giants" in the bible are actually recordings of alien people. I also agree that we will probably start looking for a new planet once our solar system begins to die. Glad I'm not the only crazy person around here!
2007-01-22 07:49:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
The simpler idea is called "Panspermia". The more outlandish idea is called, "2001: A Space Odyssey".
2007-01-22 07:49:12 · answer #8 · answered by Scythian1950 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Given the proposed cycle of evolution, I doubt that life evolved from an external source.
Perhaps its time to look under the meta-physical.
2007-01-22 07:48:20 · answer #9 · answered by MarauderX 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it's definitely possible. but it's more likely that it originated here in a bubbling pool of goo.
oh wait. and if you're religious, you think that God created life. Now THAT'S outlandish.
2007-01-22 07:48:07 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋