Mani MasoodThe work done by NASA in the field of Life sciences is the collective sum of our generation’s ability in mathematics, science and engineering. Built on the knowledge and lessons passed on to us from the previous one. NASA is where despite all constraints, challenges and difficulties, the human kind rises above differences to solve life’s greatest questions.
In search for origins of Life, scientists have reproduced in the lab how the ingredients for life could have formed deep in the ocean 4 billion years ago. The results of the new study offer clues to how life started on Earth and where else in the cosmos we might find it.
Astrobiologist Laurie Barge and her team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, are working to recognize life on other planets by studying the origins of life here on Earth. Their research focuses on how the building blocks of life form in hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.
To re-create hydrothermal vents in the lab, the team made their own miniature seafloors by filling beakers with mixtures that mimic Earth’s primordial ocean. These lab-based oceans act as nurseries for amino acids, organic compounds that are essential for life as we know it. Like Lego blocks, amino acids build on one another to form proteins, which make up all living things.
“Understanding how far you can go with just organics and minerals before you have an actual cell is really important for understanding what types of environments life could emerge from,” said Barge, the lead investigator and the first author on the new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Also, investigating how things like the atmosphere, the ocean and the minerals in the vents all impact this can help you understand how likely this is to have occurred on another planet.”
Found around cracks in the seafloor, hydrothermal vents are places where natural chimneys form, releasing fluid heated below Earth’s crust. When these chimneys interact with the seawater around them, they create an environment that is in constant flux, which is necessary for life to evolve and
change. This dark, warm environment fed by chemical energy from Earth may be the key to how life could form on worlds farther out in our solar system, far from the heat of the Sun.
“If we have these hydrothermal vents here on Earth, possibly similar reactions could occur on other planets,” said JPL’s Erika Flores, co-author of the new study.
This is indeed an interesting subject , and a debate that is a rabbit hole at the end of a slippery slope. Because this is what leads to a chicken and egg situation with the evolution and intelligent design debate. any research in this regards is indeed very interesting as it has the potential of turning deeply held belief’s upside down on their head.
Having the ability to debate either side of the argument, and with out taking any side in the evolution vs intelligent design argument for now, I would say studies and research like these should be taken up more and more, because finding the answers to these fundamental questions of human existence have the potential of propelling human kind to new heights and galaxies.
And to do this you would need budget. Hard to believe, there are people who think that NASA is frivolous spending.
NASA’s total budget represents less than half (1/2) percent of the total Government spending budget.
All of these advancements and new technologies that gives us purpose, direction and meaning – all of it comes from this ½ percent investment, and it is this investment that has made United States a leading nation in the field of science.
Imagine for a moment if all the nations of the world competed with each other in space exploration as we compete in military prowess where the humankind would be today.
It is fascinating how this [post_category] is evolving and impacting our lives.
I try to blog about [post_category] news on my website, one for referencing back when you are writing something or researching, and two to share with everyone.
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MMasood
