-PANSPERMIA-

Is the one of wildest explanations for life on earth. The proposal that life forms that can
survive the effects of space, such as extremophiles, become trapped in debris that is ejected
into space after collisions between planets that harbor life and small solar system bodies.

- This theory was actually first mentioned by Greel Philosopher Anaxagoras around 500 BC.

-HISTORY OF PANSPERMIA-

The origin of life on Earth and the transfer of life throughout the Universe. Three popular
variations of the hypothesis are directed panspermia - the intentional transfer of life to other
planets by intelligent life; lithopanspermia - extremophile bacteria traveling through space within
a meteorite, asteroid or comet from a planet in one solar system to a planet in another solar
system; and ballistic panspermia - extremophile microbes traveling through space within
meteorites, asteroids or comets between planets within the same solar system, such as from
Mars to Earth. Panspermia has been explored by the astrobiology community and endorsed by
astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and Nobel prize winner Professor Francis Crick .

-TYPES OF PANSPERMIA-

1. Lithopanspermia

Lithopanspermia, sometimes referred to as interstellar panspermia, is a version of the

panspermia hypothesis in which it is argued that impact-expelled rocks from a planet's surface
serve as transfer vehicles for spreading biological material from one solar system to another. It
requires that the microorganisms survive the impact ejection process from the planet of origin;
traveling through space; landing on a planet in another solar system.

-HISTORY-

During the 1830s Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius (1779-1848) confirmed that carbon
compounds were found in certain meteorites "fallen from the heavens". Berzelius' finding
contributed to theories propounded by later thinkers including the physician H.E. Richter and
physicist Lord Kelvin (William Thomson) (1824–1907). Lord Kelvin declared in 1871, "[W]e must
regard it as probable in the highest degree that there are countless seed-bearing meteoric
stones moving about through space. If at the present instance no life existed upon this earth,
one such stone falling upon it might, by what we blindly call natural causes, lead to its becoming
covered with vegetation." But it was the Swedish chemist and 1903 Nobel Prize winner, Svante
Arrhenius, who popularized the concept of life originating from space in 1908. His theory was
based on the notion that radiation pressure from the Sun and other stars "blew" microbes about
like tiny solar sails, and not as the result of finding carbon compounds in stony meteorites.

-SUPPORT-
 Evidence has accumulated that some bacteria and archaea are more resistant to extreme
conditions than previously recognized, and may be able to survive for very long periods of time
even in deep space. These extremophiles could possibly travel in a dormant state between
environments suitable for ongoing life such as planetary surfaces.

2. Ballistic panspermia

Sometimes referred to as interplanetary panspermia, is a version of the panspermia

hypothesis in which it is argued that impact-expelled rocks from a planet's surface serve as
transfer vehicles for spreading biological material from one planet to another within the same
solar system. It requires that the microorganisms survive the impact ejection process from the
planet of origin; traveling through the solar system; landing on a planet within the same solar
system.

-HISTORY-

During the 1830s Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius confirmed that carbon compounds
were found in certain meteorites "fallen from the heavens". Berzelius' finding contributed to
theories propounded by later thinkers including the physician H.E. Richter and physicist Lord
Kelvin (William Thomson) (1824–1907). Lord Kelvin declared in 1871, "[W]e must regard it as
probable in the highest degree that there are countless seed-bearing meteoric stones moving
about through space. If at the present instance no life existed upon this earth, one such stone
falling upon it might, by what we blindly call natural causes, lead to its becoming covered with
vegetation." But it was the Swedish chemist and 1903 Nobel Prize winner, Svante Arrhenius,
who popularized the concept of life originating from space in 1908. His theory was based on the
notion that radiation pressure from the Sun and other stars "blew" microbes about like tiny solar
sails, and not as the result of finding carbon compounds in stony meteorites.

-SUPPORT-

With the discovery of meteorites on Earth which almost certainly came from the Moon and
Mars, it has become relevant to ask a logical question: Can life forms and/or chemical
precursors of life be transported thus across the far reaches of the solar system? Can one
planet infect another ballistically? An analysis by M.K. Wallis and N.C. Wickramasinghe is rather
warm towards this idea: "The mass of escaping ejecta from the presumed 10-km comet that
caused the 180-km Chicxulub crater, with a radius of roughly 10 km and 1 m deep, amounted to
~300 Mm3, of which one third may have been rock and 10% higher-speed ejecta that could
have transited directly to Mars. It may have taken 10 Ma to impact Mars but...the probability is
not exceedingly low but 0.1-1%.

3. Directed panspermia

is the deliberate transport of microorganisms into space to be used as introduced species on

lifeless but habitable astronomical objects.
Historically, Shklovskii and Sagan (1966) and Crick and Orgel (1973) hypothesized that life on
the Earth may have been seeded deliberately by other civilizations. Conversely, Mautner and
Matloff (1979) and Mautner (1995, 1997) proposed that humanity should seed other planetary
systems, protoplanetary discs or star-forming clouds with microorganisms, to secure and
expand its organic gene/protein lifeform. To avoid interference with local life, the targets may be
young planetary systems where local life is unlikely. Directed panspermia can be motivated by
biotic ethics that value the basic patterns of organic gene/protein life with its unique complexity
and unity, and its drive for self-propagation. Directed panspermia is becoming possible due to
developments in solar sails, precise astrometry, the discovery of extrasolar planets,
extremophiles and microbial genetic engineering. Cosmological projections suggest that life in
space can then have a future.

-HISTORY-

The late Nobel prize winner Professor Francis Crick, OM FRS, along with British chemist
Leslie Orgel proposed the theory of directed panspermia in 1973. A co-discoverer of the double
helical structure of the DNA molecule, Crick found it impossible that the complexity of DNA
could have evolved naturally. Crick posed that small grains containing DNA, or the building
blocks of life, could be loaded on a brace of rockets and fired randomly in all directions. Crick
and Orgel estimated that a payload of one metric ton could contain 1017 micro-organisms
organized in ten or a hundred separate samples. This would be the best, most cost effective
strategy for seeding life on a compatible planet at some time in the future. The strategy of
directed panspermia may have already been pursued by an advanced civilization facing
catastrophic annihilation, or hoping to terraform planets for later colonization.

-SUPPORT-

Directed panspermia from Earth to new solar systems has been proposed to expand life in
the Universe. For example, microbial payloads launched by solar sails at speeds up to 0.0001 c
(30,000 m/s) would reach targets at 10 to 100 light-years in 0.1 million to 1 million years. Fleets
of microbial capsules can be aimed at clusters of new stars in star-forming clouds where they
may land on planets, or captured by asteroids and comets and later delivered to planets.
Payloads may contain extremophiles for diverse environments and cyanobacteria similar to
early microorganisms. Hardy multicellular organisms (rotifer cysts) may be included to induce
higher evolution. (Mautner, M. N. (1997), "Directed panspermia. 3. Strategies and motivation for
seeding star-forming clouds", J. British Interplanetary Soc.) There is a chance that humans, at
some point in our space explorations, may unintentionally transport microorganisms on manned
craft or unmanned probes to other other planetary bodies. Contamination such as this distorting
data is a concern among space researchers seeking to find extraterrestrial life. Even the best
sterilization techniques can not guarantee that organic materials will not be unintentionally
spread.
Deliberate directed panspermia by humans would seed planetary bodies, securing the of future
life. This intentional action would need to be balanced against interference with the quest to find
extraterrestrial life. This interference can be minimized by targeting remote solar systems where
life would not have evolved yet. Seeding a few hundred young solar systems would secure
future life while leaving billions of stars pristine for exploration.