[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.

[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???

[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.)

[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.

[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.]

[Bonaparte]

"...life first, cells second..."

Uh huh...

[AmericaUnited]

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

A great scientific mystery has been solved!!!

Why so many people seem to have "rocks" in their heads.

[beckett]

I must have missed the part where they explained why the theory cannot be reduced to a laboratory experiment. That's a very important feature of these stories. This one sounds like it's good for the "too many eons of time required" exemption.

[Revolting cat!]

Watch it, as 10, 20 years from now this will be the theory they'll fight over to death as the ultimate TRUTH just like they fight to death over whatever the theory du jour is du jour (sorry, can't name the theory du jour - I've been away and have missed the memo on the latest immutable dogma!)

[The Raven]

Everyone knows life started from an alien seed sent from another galaxy.

[Eternal_Bear]

There could be many ways that life can form in the universe. Open your minds!