New Horizons for Life on Other PlanetsThe discovery opens up new possibilities for the existence of life beyond Earth, as similar gas-water interactions in extraterrestrial environments may provide the conditions needed for nucleic acid replication and life to thrive

Yes, gas-water interactions in extraterrestrial environments may provide the conditions for nucleic acid replication and life to thrive

Nucleic acid replication is a key process in the origin of life. However, on early Earth, replication was challenging due to the dilution of molecular building blocks and the difficulty of separating daughter from parent strands

One study modeled a prebiotic Earth environment where water evaporated at the point of contact with gas flows. This created circular flow patterns and up-concentration at the gas-water interface. The study found that this setting led to a 30-fold accumulation of nucleic acids

However, life elsewhere may have taken a different chemical path than Earth’s. For example, the composition of a chemical space off Earth could be different, where “terrestrial” biomolecules no longer exist

The pursuit of understanding the origins of life (OoL) on and off Earth and the search for extraterrestrial life (ET) are central aspects of astrobiology. Despite the considerable efforts in both areas, more novel and multifaceted approaches are needed to address these profound questions with greater detail and with certainty. The complexity of the chemical milieu within ancient geological environments presents a diverse landscape where biomolecules and non-biomolecules interact. This interaction could lead to life as we know it, dominated by biomolecules, or to alternative forms of life where non-biomolecules could play a pivotal role. Such alternative forms of life could be found beyond Earth, i.e., on exoplanets and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Challenging the notion that all life, including ET life, must use the same building blocks as life on Earth, the concept of contingency—when expanded beyond its macroevolution interpretation—suggests that non-biomolecules may have played essential roles at the OoL. Here, we review the possible role of contingency and non-biomolecules at the OoL and synthesize a conceptual model formally linking contingency with non-biomolecular OoL theories. This model emphasizes the significance of considering the role of non-biomolecules both at the OoL on Earth or beyond, as well as their potential as agnostic biosignatures indicative of ET Life.

The New Horizons mission by NASA has helped astrobiologists understand the worlds at the edge of our solar system and has opened up new possibilities for the existence of life beyond Earth

Kuiper Belt 

New Horizons ventured into the Kuiper Belt, a large region of small bodies beyond Neptune’s orbit. The Kuiper Belt is a relic of the solar system’s formation and is similar to the asteroid belt, but much larger

Gas-water interactions 

A discovery by New Horizons suggests that similar gas-water interactions in extraterrestrial environments may provide the conditions needed for life to thrive

What is the life on other planets experiment?

The Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment, or LIFE, was a Planetary Society project to investigate the “transpermia” hypothesis: the potential for life to travel from planet to planet, safely ensconced inside rocks blasted from planetary surfaces by large impacts

What planet did New Horizons explore?

Pluto

New Horizons was the first spacecraft to explore Pluto and its five moons up close and, later, made the first close exploration of a Kuiper Belt Object. An artist’s concept of New Horizons at Pluto with its largest moon Charon in the background

Which planet has life like Earth?

Kepler-452b (sometimes quoted to be an Earth 2.0 or Earth’s Cousin based on its characteristics; also known by its Kepler object of interest designation KOI-7016.01) is a super-Earth exoplanet orbiting within the inner edge of the habitable zone of the sun-like star Kepler-452 and is the only planet in the system

Is New Horizons still active?

NASA has announced it is to extend operations for New Horizons until the spacecraft exits the Kuiper belt, which is expected to occur between 2028 and 2029.

there oxygen on any other planet?

Io, Ganymede, and Europa all have oxygen in their atmospheres, and roaming could be the cause. Io is a volcanic place – the most volcanic world in the Solar System – so life is ruled out there. Ganymede and Europa have subsurface oceans, so they could potentially harbour life

The search for life on other planets is based on the idea that Earth has the ingredients for life, and that some of these ingredients may be essential for life to exist elsewhere

This has been going on for billions of years. Other worlds have been pummeled by this life-giving space debris. We know life caught on here, but could life begin on other planets?

“Microbial life might actually be fairly common in the universe, but the conditions supporting animal life are rare,” said Brownlee.

Microbes on Earth are found in the most extreme places. But Brownee also says the Earth is likely to be a very rare combination of just the right elements for supporting life as we know it.

What is the spark of life theory?

The most accepted theory of life is the electric spark theory. Oparin-Haldane hypothesis stipulated that life began through the aggregation of non-living inorganic matter. The chemical reaction occurred in a reducing environment and the presence of frequent lightning strikes.

How likely is it that we are alone in the universe?

The idea of being alone in the universe is infinitesimally small. Our earth, over a trillion cubic kilometers, is one of eight planets orbiting the sun, which is thousands of times larger. According to NASA, there are probably THOUSANDS of solar systems in the milky way, the galaxy we live in

Planets with volcanic activity are considered better candidates for life than worlds without such heated internal goings-on.

DNA strand simulation

One of life’s building blocks could have originated in outer space. Astronomers simulated the clouds of gas and dust that are strewn between stars out in the cosmos and found that their chemical reactions produced nucleobases: the building blocks of DNA

Nucleotides! In! Space!

So this brings us to nucleotides, which are basic units of DNA. DNA is where human bodies (and other organisms) store their genetic material. It’s because of DNA that parents can pass on traits like eye color and handedness to their children. Nucleotides are the things that link up to form the famous spiral ladder shape, or “double helix,” in the DNA molecule

Salt Concentration BreakthroughThe study uncovered that salt concentration changes at the gas-water interface could drive DNA strand separation, a critical step in replication. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about temperature-driven processes

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