Friday, March 06, 2009

The Ceres solution*

Life on Ceres: Could the Dwarf Planet be the Root of Panspermia?

You may be forgiven in thinking that the search for life in the Solar System has gone a little crazy, after all, we haven't found life anywhere else apart from our own planet. However, if we do discover life on other planetary bodies apart from Earth, perhaps the panspermia hypothesis is more than just an academic curiosity. So why is Ceres suddenly so interesting? Firstly, it probably has water. Secondly, the ex-asteroid is so small that fragments of Ceres could have been kicked into space by meteorite impacts more readily than other larger planetary bodies, making it a prime candidate for seeding life on Earth . . .


*"The Ceres Solution" is a novel by the late Bob Shaw.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Im too old for this (posthumanism). Guess this blogger is using the word in other meanin

Anonymous said...

The panspermia hypothesis is an interesting one to consider to be sure. I also think the Lipton Cup of Soup hypothesis bears some thought. The materials distributed throughout the universe in the form of planets have the necessary ingredients to establish life. Just add water, heat and serve. Pretty simple concept I know and it certainly doesn't have the drama of the Garden of Eden hypothesis, but it still works for me.

Michael