Hi!!!
Life on Earth evolved from a fairly rudimentary form for something as complex as we know today. Since prokaryotes being simpler to multicellular life and the more complex is the human being.
Undeniably, the evolution has made us the most complex product and more successful on this planet.
But this raises a question ... how would life evolve on other planets? It will be the same way?
Will actually be like us as depicted in the movies? Bipedal, four, five fingers, a head and the list goes on ... This is nonsense!!!
If we analyze our features one by one, we conclude that, in fact, we evolved in order to survive on our needs. The fact that we have a circulatory system is not a characteristic of Earth beings, but by the need to provide the best resources (O2, nutrients, immune system, etc.) to all corners of our multicellular system ... I mean, it could happen anywhere where multicelular life occurred. But the fact that we have an aerial tract within our thoracic cavity yes, is due to our dry environment in which we live (out of water). The fact that we have a dermis with certain characteristics, two eyes in our skull, the very physical and chemical composition of our bones, almost everything we have been designed to fit into our environment.
The truth is that life can exist in many places where we, human beings, or to any earthly being wouldn't have survival skills.
It is normal that the bacteria have greater survival capacity in more demanding environment but they also replicate more frequently and, therefore, they adapt more quickly.
But the key question here is:
Are we looking for life in the right way?
This is:
- Has life the need to evolve form a cell membrane composed of phospholipids?
- Has life the need to evolve so it has to have DNA to coordinate their metabolic activities and transmit their characteristics through out the next generation?
- And to obtain energy? Will be the way we know (glycolysis, cellular respiration, fermentation, oxidation of fatty acids, etc ...) the only one? And if there were completely different compounds? What would those metabolic processes be like?
- For life to emerge, does it have to come up with the same organic molecules that it came here? Amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids ...
All these are answers that can not answered surely, but raises the question of
"After all, what leads to life occurs / is formed?"
If it's so simple, just by having a bunch of biomolecules in a solution inside a jar, covered with a good amount of radiation, magnetic field, a good layer of atmosphere and water, puf!!!
The truth is that is not so simple.
But we have good news !!! It has been able to obtain organic molecules from inorganic molecules in experimental way to prove the theory of Abiogenesis.
[Abiogenesis is the idea que life from nonlife Sepharose more than 3.5 billion years ago on Earth. Abiogenesis Proposes que the first life-forms generated were very simple and through a gradual process Became Increasingly complex.] (5)
It has been found that certain biomolecules occur spontaneously when certain conditions are fulfilled by the universe out!Since clouds of alcohol and amino acids have been found in comets, such as in the mission Philae probe Comet 67P. (1, 2, 3)
Therefore, we can be a somewhat rested. Although other forms of life does not get out of the equation, we can always expect something similar to what we have on Earth as these molecules occur through out the universe and not just on Earth.
And you?
If you had a budget to look out for life beyond Earth (Solar System), would you search for a new form of life in non expected environments with a high chance of failure, but still with an unprecedented discovery; or would you go looking for similar surroundings in hopes of finding something familiar and already a somewhat expected?
Here is some information that you might open horizons:
"A new type of methane-based, oxygen-free life form que can metabolize and reproduce similar to life on Earth Has Been modeled by a team of Cornell University Researchers." (...)"Their theorized cell membrane, composed of small organic nitrogen compounds and capable of Functioning in liquid methane temperatures of 292 degrees below zero" (...)
"... Discovered methane-ethane seas on Titan. Intrigued by the possibilities of methane-based life on Titan, and armed with a grant from the Templeton Foundation to study non-aqueous life ..." (...)
"Excited by the initial proof of concept, Clancy said the next step is to try and how Manda These cells would behave in the methane environment -. What might be the analogue to reproduction and metabolism in oxygen-free, methane-based cells" (4)
Is not that awesome ???
Here's Neil deGrasse Tyron's point of view:
http://www.businessinsider.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-different-alien-life-forms-2016-2#ooid=VzYjRwMDE6iDLa9Igi0oTFxC84qk55W1
(Must watch)
See you next time !!!
1- https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17628-found-first-amino-acid-on-a-comet/
2- http://phys.org/news/2006-04-astronomers-alcohol-cloud-spanning-billion.html
3- http://www.iflscience.com/space/explainer-what-philae-did-its-60-hours-comet-67p
4- http://futurism.com/scientists-show-methane-based-life-possible-on-titan-saturns-moon-heres-what-it-would-look-like/
5- http://www.britannica.com/science/abiogenesis
