Physicist: Cell-like structures could be microbes from space

WorldNetDaily ^ | 6/4/06 | WorldNetDaily

[wagglebee]

They're red, cell-like, replicate easily in water superheated to nearly 600 degrees Fahrenheit and, according to the physicist who isolated them from mysterious blood-colored rains that fell on India in 2001, they have no DNA – which is why the scientist believes he may have the first confirmed evidence of alien life.

Godfrey Louis

Godfrey Louis presented evidence for his hypothesis in the April issue of the peer-reviewed journal, Astrophysics and Space Science. Louis works as a solid-state physicist at Mahatma Gandhi University.

Louis isolated thick-walled, red-colored cell-like structures from water collected during the "red rain" that fell in Kerala, India, from July to September, 2001.

For a two-month period, sporadic heavy downpours occurred in which the rain was red in color, often appearing like blood. The red color was due to small red particles held in suspension, initially theorized to be spores of a common lichen in India. Analysis of the isolated sediment, however, found the presence of aluminum – an element not usually found in living cells – and much lower levels of phosphorus than would be expected if the particles were biological in origin.

Other theories have pointed to red dust picked up by winds crossing the Arabian peninsula and even a fine mist of blood cells produced by a meteor striking a flock of bats.

Louis argued none of these theories can explain what he's observed in the lab.

Algae and fungus, which make up lichen, have DNA, Louis said, noting that his strange red "cells" do not. Further, blood cells have thin walls, unlike his microbes, and quickly die when exposed to water and air – and they are unable to replicate. Louis' particles thrive in water at temperatures approaching 600 degrees Fahrenheit – far beyond the 250 degrees known to be the upper limit for life – and they reproduce themselves.

"We've already got some stunning pictures – transmission electron micrographs – of these cells sliced in the middle," astronomer Chandra Wickramasing, a scientist at Cardiff University in Wales who is attempting to replicate Louis' work, told Popular Science. "We see them budding, with little daughter cells inside the big cells."

In his journal article, Louis speculated the cell-like particles could be extraterrestrial bacteria transported to Earth on a comet or meteor that broke apart in the upper atmosphere and fell suspended in rain drops.

Wickramasing's interest in the red structures is related to the modern theory of panspermia – the idea that Earth was seeded with life from space – which he co-proposed in 1974.

"If it's true that life was introduced by comets four billion years ago," the astronomer said, "one would expect that microorganisms are still injected into our environment from time to time. This could be one of those events."

Louis and Wickramasinghe plan further tests to determine the levels of specific carbon isotopes and to determine if their proportions fall outside of what would be expected.

Another British team is currently analyzing Louis' samples to confirm whether DNA is present or not. One preliminary test has returned positive.

"Life as we know it must contain DNA, or it's not life," said University of Sheffield microbiologist Milton Wainwright. "But even if this organism proves to be an anomaly, the absence of DNA wouldn't necessarily mean it's extraterrestrial."

[TChad]

For more info google "Wickramasinghe kerala dna"

Without quotes.

[HP8753]

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

[pecadillo]

Wouldn't life from outer space disprove evolution, though? How can life have evolved on earth, and then have evolved from outer space at the same time? The odds for THAT are, what? squared?

Think of every planet is a single roll of the dice, and specify one number (that the dice can produce) as representing life; if the roll for any planet comes up that number, it has generated life somehow.
The more planets there are, the more rolls of the dice you will need to make, and the greater the likelihood of hitting that one, special number. More planets mean that the possibility of life evolving somewhere in the universe is higher.

[pecadillo]

Ugh, 'possibility' should have been 'probability'. Sorry.

[RandallFlagg]

Could be Triffid seeds.

[JasonC]

Yeah, but the second time a meteor hit a flock of bats - lol.

It is just nonsense. Entirely terrestrial spores plus charlatans getting themselves in the paper.

[AndrewC]

What a patzer. Little globs! Try frogs.

http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa050498a.htm

[hosepipe]

WOO EEEE... Microbes from space?.. (Eddie Murphy laugh)..

[LiteKeeper]

mega-dittoes

[DouglasKC]

Therefore, evolutionists and their naturalistic perspective will have trouble with the Very Beginning no matter what. Because it takes something supernatural to make life from non-living matter. This is scientifically (naturalistically) impossible. So whether you choose to include it or not, it's still a problem.

Exactly. The evolutionists avoid at all costs the logical, backwards tracing of their theory: Life evolved from non-life. Something living came from something non-living. They're like a bunch of people trying to avoid and ignore the 2000 pound elephant in the middle of the room.

[Elsie]

Coming in the fall - on FOX...

Microbes from Space!

[Elsie]

I don't want to ping the list for something like this. We'll wait for a more reliable article.

But if it were a nutcase on the C side of the aisle......

;^)

[mdmathis6]

I was thinking about some of the biblical catastrophes written about...you know the ones where hail fell mixed with fire AND BLOOD!

[Elsie]

Other theories have pointed to red dust picked up by winds crossing the Arabian peninsula and even a fine mist of blood cells produced by a meteor striking a flock of bats.

Louisville Sluggers or Splifford relatives?

[Elsie]

He had manifold talents, right?

Yes; and was EXAUSTING in his research, as well.

[Leatherneck_MT]

a meteor striking a flock of bats............

Now what are the chances of that happening?

[Elsie]

Now what are the chances of that happening?

Chances, like odds, REQUIRE a couple of known numbers before they can be calculated.

There are none known.

How ever, if someone can come up with the number (and size) of meteors falling daily (monthly - yearly) and the sizes of bat FLOCKS, then, perhaps, we'd get some actual data.

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(Myself, I think that hitting a herd of COWS would be MUCH more likely - or perhaps a convention of Evolutionists)

[Elsie]

(Ooops: not a FLOCK....)

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Animal		Male	Female	Baby	Group of Animals
	Armadillo	male	female	pup	-
	Badger	boar	sow	kit, cub	cete
	Bat	male	female	pup	colony
	Bear	boar	sow	cub	sleuth, sloth