<The theory that meteorites carrying bacteria kickstarted life on Earth has been strengthened by a German experiment that placed bugs in orbit to see if they survived the brutal environment of space.

They’re repeating NASA.

Pilot Alan Bean & Mission Commander Pete Conrad returned in Apollo 12 with sections of Lunar Surveyor 3 on board. What was found on these spacecraft pieces were dormant (hibernating) micro-critters that had survived years of exposure on our Moon.

And, of course, panspermia requires that the microbes/nanobes survive millions of years on the journey.

But, “kickstarted life on Earth”? Gimme a break. Arguments continue that the Sun was hotter then, and Mars was wetter then -- but I see no erosion on the surface of Mars that would say that any form of life was in any abundance on Mars during that period. And life is, and has been, very prevalent here, on trusty ol’ Earth. It is here that the Solar habitable zone exists, even during the hotter millennia. We’re just comfortably cruising its middle latitudes at the moment. It is here on Earth that life sparked, evolved, and endured.



And panspermia should be looked upon as a two-way street. I wonder, if we ever do get back to the Moon, if anyone will ever find microbial fossils there... We’re not that far away, and heavy impactors were striking well after the Moon had formed and cooled. How about a set of lunar dino-bones cast up from the KT impactor?

Thanx for the link, Marcia,
Dan
--ps--
Lots of sugars and minerals at HZ when you post as well.