14 DAY TRIAL // For many years, scientists have been arguing that the earliest life forms developed here inside oceans or pools of water, in places where the organisms had millions of years to develop and thrive. A new theory has however been gaining momentum lately, which states that life originated high up in the Earth's atmosphere.
In a new scientific study, researchers discover even more arguments to support the emerging view. The investigation was carried out to simulate the chemical reactions that could be taking place on Titan, which is Saturn's largest moon.
It was found that the space object's upper atmosphere is laden with chemicals that allow for the development of nucleotide bases and amino acids in a very straightforward manner.
The team was surprised to learn that because Titan experiences a lot more negative conditions than our planet does, especially in terms of temperatures, radiation exposure, chemical make-up and so on.
The average surface temperature is minus 179 degrees Celsius, or 290 degrees Fahrenheit. But both the moon and Earth share something very important in common, and namely a thick atmosphere that included vast amounts of nitrogen.
Amino-acids and nucleotide bases are the building blocks of proteins, and RNA and DNA respectively, and various combinations of these chemicals can conceivably create basic life forms. Now, investigators believe that the same thing may have happened here on Earth.
What is even more interesting is that a study appearing in the November 10 issue of the top journal Nature shows that our planet had sufficiently large amounts of oxygen in its atmosphere to support complex life more than 1.2 billion years ago.
Scientists are now coming to believe that our ancient planet and Titan resembled a great deal. In the past, it may be that the same type of reactions now discovered on the Saturnine moon were also taking place high above the surface.
If so, then the theories holding that the earliest organisms here appeared in oceans or pools, and around hydrothermal vents, may need to be revisited. Organisms may have indeed evolved here, but the new research proposes that these location are not life's point of origin.
“It's pretty likely there was a haze similar to Titan's before life existed. Probably it was a similar kind of gas mixture,” explains University of Arizona graduate student and researcher Sarah Horst. The findings were presented in Pasadena, California, at the 42nd meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division of Planetary Sciences
At this point, scientists want to start conducting more follow-up studies on the issue. It is conceivable that, in the future, the key to understanding how life developed here will be going to Titan, and conducting on-site investigations, Space reports.