Formation of life on earth

The question of how life formed on Earth is a much debated topic that is constantly undergoing revisions and modifications. It was once thought that all the material necessary for living beings to form was present on Earth; however, other hypothesis have been put forward. One such idea is called panspermia, or the idea that the seeds of life existed in the universe already and that life on Earth came about through this method.

Recently, a team of chemists at the University of Missouri-Columbia have created a new computer model which indicates that adenine (a chemical component of DNA) can form and exist out in space. The team believes that if adenine can be found in meteorites and elsewhere in the solar system, that it is possible for it to be found in interstellar space.

The computer simulation consisted of HCN (hydrogen cyanide [which already exists in interstellar clouds]) in the cold vacuum of space and showed, that with a small energy boost, molecules of adenine can begin forming.

With this discovery, it is possible that astronomers and biologists will have to rethink just how life was formed on Earth and how it can be formed elsewhere in the galaxy and universe. Personally, I am excited at the prospect of learning more about the formation of life on this earth and elsewhere in the universe. I think it would be amazing if we could find other forms of life (or the remains of past life) here in our own solar system. This type of research can only help to further our knowledge and understanding how things form and work within the universe.

The full article can be found at:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070911_st_adenine_dust.html