The Mystery Of Origin Of Life

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oi-Staff

By Staff

Monday, December 22, 2008, 15:27

When and where did life began! "It's a puzzle whose mystery will perhaps remain unknown to humanity ad infinitum," according to an article in a leading European journal Astrophysics & Space Science.

The article, written by Mr Ashwani Kumar Lal, challenges 'panspermia' currently the most favoured theory of origin of life that primitive life may have originally formed extraterrestrially.

"Despite rapid advancements in astrobiology, microbiology and genetics in recent years, the exact timing and location of origin of life has remained an enigma, and will remain one" Mr Lal, an official in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, told UNI.

In his paper, published online in the journal (volume 317), Mr Lal examines the various prevailing hypotheses regarding the origin of life such as a biogenesis, RNA world, iron-sulphur world and panspermia.

He says though panspermia provides an alternative to the earthly abiogenesis (generation of life from non-living matter), it fails to address the nagging uncertainties pertaining to the timing of commencement of the process of evolution of life on earth and elsewhere in the universe.

According to panspermia, life arises everywhere, but the seeds of life can travel across galaxies, hitchhiking on comets and meteorities. The process which may have started some four billion years ago on earth, continues even today.

Dissecting the precellular RNA world theory, he says there is a growing evidence to support the idea that emergence of self-replicating RNA, some 3.6 billion years ago, was a crucial early step in the evolution of life on earth.

"How the RNA came into being, however, remains unknown so far.

Nor the experiments involving biologically produced RNA have provided concrete proof about RNA world being the pathway between non-life and life," he says.

"Ever since Oparin and Haldane initiated the modern theory of life's origin from non-life in 1930s, we have learnt much about how life operates, but almost nothing about how it originates.

"It is beyond the realms of science to pinpoint when and where precisely life had its beginning in the universe," the article concludes.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.