Well the battle between the evolutionists and the creationists just got a little more fuel.  Scientists studying a meteorite that fell in 1969 have found evidence that the basic building blocks of life on earth probably came from other meteorites that landed billions of years ago.

Scientists from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College have discovered that the Murchison meteorite that hit Australia in 1969 contains nucleobases, uracil and xanthine.  Nucleobases are molecules that are the precursors to RNA and DNA, the basic building blocks of life.

Their results were published in the journal Earth and Planetary Sciences yesterday, June 15th.  This discovery adds yet more evidence that life on earth began as an evolutionary process and that life might exist elsewhere in the universe.

The scientists know that the meteorite did not pick up the uracil and xanthine after it hit earth because these nucleobases contained a heavier form of carbon than that found on earth.  Subsequently, the uracil and xanthine arrived by way of the solar system.

The Murchison meteorite  also contains 92 amino acids, 19 of which are found on earth.  The rest of the amino acids have never been found on earth.

Dr. Zita Martin, lead author of the article, had this to say:

“We believe early life may have adopted nucleobases from meteoritic fragments for use in genetic coding which enabled them to pass on their successful features to subsequent generations.”

That being the case, it stands to reason that meteorites that hit other planets also contain these molecules necessary for life and in the right atmosphere, probably will or have resulted in forms of life on other hospitable worlds.

Co-author of the article, Dr. Mark Sephton, stated it this way:

“Because meteorites represent left over materials from the formation of the solar system, the key components for life — including nucleobases — could be widespread in the cosmos. As more and more of life’s raw materials are discovered in objects from space, the possibility of life springing forth wherever the right chemistry is present becomes more likely.”

Life as we know it, might actually exist somewhere else.  It may even exist in forms we have never imagined or only imagined through science fiction novels, movies, and TV series. 

Little green men might actually travel here someday.  Area 51 might actually have an embalmed alien and the Borg could be on its way.  OK, maybe not.

What we do know is that the likelihood that we are the only planet with life just eroded significantly with this discovery. 

The space programs that we have seen heavy cutbacks at least in the U.S. might be more important that we thought.

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Entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 1:31 pm under Science and technology.

Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
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