Sugar in Meteorites

Timothy Birdnow

Scientists have discovered sugars in meteorites. This includes ribose, a fundamental building block of RNA.

RNA is a complex molecule necessary for life and is considered a precursor to DNA.

From the article:

An international team has found sugars essential to life in meteorites. The new discovery adds to the growing list of biologically important compounds that have been found in meteorites, supporting the hypothesis that chemical reactions in asteroids—the parent bodies of many meteorites—can make some of life's ingredients. If correct, meteorite bombardment on ancient Earth may have assisted the origin of life with a supply of life's building blocks.

The team discovered ribose and other bio-essential sugars including arabinose and xylose in two different meteorites that are rich in carbon, NWA 801 (type CR2) and Murchison (type CM2). Ribose is a crucial component of RNA (ribonucleic acid). In much of modern life, RNA serves as a messenger molecule, copying genetic instructions from the DNA molecule (deoxyribonucleic acid) and delivering them to molecular factories within the cell called ribosomes that read the RNA to build specific proteins needed to carry out life processes.

"Other important building blocks of life have been found in meteorites previously, including amino acids (components of proteins) and nucleobases (components of DNA and RNA), but sugars have been a missing piece among the major building blocks of life," said Yoshihiro Furukawa of Tohoku University, Japan, lead author of the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 18. "The research provides the first direct evidence of ribose in space and the delivery of the sugarto Earth. The extraterrestrial sugar might have contributed to the formation of RNA on the prebiotic Earth which possibly led to the origin of life."

Sooooo...

Life on Earth may have it's genesis in space rocks!

The theory of Panspermia says life came from space. There are two different versions of this theory - directed and non-directed. Directed panspermia says aliens actually seeded the Earth. Non-directed says it drifted here from elsewhere. Intelligent Design Theory is often accused of being Creationism in disguise, but it can represent directed panspermia as well.

This would suggest non-directed panspermia. Actually it wouldn't even be that; it shows there are building blocks in place in space, but not life itself.

So, what does this mean? Does it mean Darwinian style evolution is true? No. It means the building blocks are present. Go into a forest and you'll find plenty of wood, but that doesn't mean you are going to find a rocking chair.

But this certainly does give tantalizing clues to abiogenesis (the beginnings of life).

Question: now that we know sugar is in meteors, will Michael Bloomberg try to ban their arrival on Earth?

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 12:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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