Wednesday, September 12, 2007

It came from Outer Space

At least, it could have done:

Some crucial ingredients for life on Earth may have formed in interstellar space rather than on the planet's surface.

A new computer model indicates clouds of adenine molecules, a basic component of DNA, can form and survive the harsh conditions of space, and possibly sprinkle onto planets as the stars they orbit travel through a galaxy.

"There may be only a few molecules of adenine per square foot of space, but over millions of years, enough could have accumulated to help make way for life," said study co-author Rainer Glaser, a molecular chemist at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Fred Hoyle would have been pleased.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

That explains Kucinich.