Revolutionary New Theory For Origins Of Life On Earth

UK Royal Society ^ | 12/4/2002 | Professor William Martin, Institut fuer Botanik III, University of Dusseldorf and Dr Michael Russell

[forsnax5]

For those who appreciate irony... :)

[forsnax5]

Another outrageous theory surfaces!

[azhenfud]

Oh my.
So few straws, so many grasps....

[AndrewC]

They provided the right microenvironment for chemical reactions to take place.

I don't think so. They also provided limited reactants. If it was likely then it should be fairly easy to do in the lab.

[Aquinasfan]

living systems originated from inorganic incubators - small compartments in iron sulphide rocks

So this is how the first vegatative soul came into being? Sheesh.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Or another surface theory.

[RightWhale]

Life in some microbial form is common to rock. Somewhere someone said the biomass of bacteria inside the rock of the earth is greater than the biomass of everything living on the surface [including you and your dog and the mold growing inside your refrigerator.]

Don't know if it's true or not, but it seems reasonable, and would make the odds of microbial life existing beyond earth in every rocky planet orbiting every star a certainty.

The popular idea that all life came from one primitive cell and ramified into species is basic to some origin hypotheses, but isn't necessary or even likely.

[Consort]

Again, scientists spend too much time looking backwards.

[azhenfud]

"...rich in compounds such as hydrogen, cyanide, sulphides and carbon monoxide."

Ah, those essential compounds of life. What would we be without them???

[freedumb2003]

I dunno -- when I was single I had some SERIOUS 'fridge mold going on. Named it "Fred" and taught it to bring me beer.

[Fighter@heart]

"So this is how the first vegatative soul came into being?"
Maybe that is where the Democraps come from!! It would seem so, where else could one gleen the saying "dumb as a box of rocks!!"

[AndrewC]

So this is how the first vegatative soul came into being? Sheesh.

Iron sulphide(sulfide) AKA Fool's Gold

[Redcloak]

Wasn't this a Star Trek episode? The one where the microscopic, metallic lifeforms refer to humans as "ugly bags of mostly water"? (On the other hand, had they refered to them as "ugly bags of mostly water in crusty, black pantsuits"... But I digress.)

[azhenfud]

"ugly bags of mostly water in crusty, black pantsuits..."

Let me guess; Hillery?

[Blue Screen of Death]

Some writer, I can't remember his name right now, postulated that water created people to transport it from one place to another. The older I get and the more frequent my night time trecks to the head, the more I believe this theory.

[thegreatbeast]

Being science-challenged, I'll have to watch this debate from the sidelines. It's a good thing though to keep challenging standing precepts. It's a conceit to think that we know much about anything at this stage of our development and evolution.

[js1138]

The popular idea that all life came from one primitive cell and ramified into species is basic to some origin hypotheses, but isn't necessary or even likely.

I'm not aware that any known bacteria have characteristics that would disqualify them from this hypothesis.

[PatrickHenry]

Life everywhere! Ping.

[This ping list for the evolution -- not creationism -- side of evolution threads, and sometimes for other science topics. If you want to be included, or dropped, let me know.]

[rmmcdaniell]

Again, scientists spend too much time looking backwards.

And some spend too much time reading fairy tales.

[clamper1797]

And some spend too much time reading fairy tales.

And mythology