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VIOLENT EARLY EARTH. “It is believed that approximately 3.5–4 Gyr ago, when life originated on the Earth, the Sun was in a highly active phase. In this scenario, the Earth's surface was likely to be bombarded by a high flux of energetic solar particles and super coronal mass ejections. Enhanced flux of solar particles and variability in the Galactic cosmic rays flux can also enhance the rate of lightning, and provide energy to the prebiotic soup to synthesize amino acids and other organic compounds forming the building blocks of life.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

SOLAR FLARES. “Observations show that flares are one of the most explosive phenomena in the atmosphere of the Sun, releasing a huge amount of energy up to about 10(32) erg on the timescale of hours. Flares involve the heating of plasma, mass ejection, and particle acceleration that generates high-energy particles.” https://lnkd.in/e3J5CRi View in LinkedIn

LIFE MOLECULES. “Organic synthesis occurring at the polar regions of the Moon, Mercury and other silicate bodies has also been proposed. There are studies of Galactic cosmic rays-induced synthesis of organic molecules in Titan's atmosphere, production of oxidants on Europa and the possibility of an aerial biosphere on Venus. The production of O2, H2O2 and other oxidants on Europa's surface by charged particles accelerated in the Jovian magnetic field has been estimated in an earlier study.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

MAGNETIC DRIVER. “It is a promising hypothesis that the onset of solar eruptions is related to some typical magnetic structures. In fact, many studies have emphasized a relationship between the occurrence of solar eruptions and various magnetic properties, e.g., strong magnetic shear.” https://lnkd.in/e8caAHQ View in LinkedIn

VIOLENT EVENTS. “Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), the most catastrophic eruptions in our solar system, are believed to occur through a type of storage-and-release phenomenon, in which the free energy stored as a nonpotential magnetic field in the solar corona is abruptly unleashed.” https://lnkd.in/e8caAHQ View in LinkedIn

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SO ENDS this second weekend on this excellent paper by Dimitra Ati on extraterrestrial versions of Darwin’s warm pond where hi energy sources can push chemistry to far-from-equilibrium reactions and cross the threshold from chemistry to biology. With increased interest in the news about extraterrestrial life following the military release of UFO video footage, it begs the greatest unanswered question of 21st century biology, namely, how on earth, or elsewhere, did life evolve. It is time to fund intensive research in this direction. View in LinkedIn

THE POSSIBILITIES. “There is a possibility of life on icy objects in the interplanetary medium such as comets, and other bodies in the interstellar environment. This energy source could support life locked inside icy objects and facilitate efficient transportation conforming to the panspermia hypothesis. Because rogue or independent planets also receive a steady flux of this radiation, there is a possibility of a thriving subsurface ecosystem on such planets. Ground-based laboratory tests are suggested that can be conducted to validate the hypotheses presented here.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

COMBINATION METABOLISM. “Radiolysis-powered life can either thrive independently, or can consume a combination of sources such as heat from chemical and geological processes. Galactic cosmic rays-induced radiolysis can produce a number of ion species leading to the production of biologically useful products such as molecular hydrogen.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

NO ATMOSPHERIC SHIELD. “The Galactic cosmic ray-induced radiolysis mechanisms proposed in the paper open up new possibilities of life in subsurface environments on a number of planetary bodies such as Mars, Moon, Europa, Enceladus, Pluto and especially ones with negligible atmospheres.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn