Did humans evolve from alien life forms? That’s the question Horizons documentary asked SBS viewers on January 6. But if you’re waiting for an answer don’t hold your breath, because the question of human origins is still as contentious as ever in the scientific community.
With the opening statement that if we went back far enough we’d find the ancestors of humans to be extraterrestrials, the show knew how to capture its viewers’ curiosity early. But once released back into the wilds of suburbia would this question get people really thinking, or would they yawn and flick channels to Extreme Makeover? Well we know some who did!
The idea of life on Earth being seeded from among the stars via natural processes is known as Panspermia. If we really did come from elsewhere then Panspermia requires a closer examination, and that’s exactly what the program did. However such crusades into our origins can be quite boring for most, hence the program being accompanied by 1950s music and B-grade alien movie images, and we loved it.
To solve the question of human origins the documentary began by re-examining the Red Rain that fell in Kerala (India) in 2001, although in their attempts to explain this peculiar phenomenon away as earthly, the ‘rain’ was said to be anything from bat blood to lichen spores. Samples of the ‘rain’ revealed cells containing no DNA - a curiosity in itself - and begged the question where did the micro-organisms come from? Taking viewers on a romp through the world of extremeophiles, life forms that live in extreme conditions, viewers were shown terrestrial places with extreme temperatures and chemistries while abundant with life.
As a species, we were told, we need to re-examine current notions about where and how life might exist, and Considering that micro-organisms have been found to exist even on spent rods of nuclear fuel, it leaves the mind boggling over how durable and adaptive life might actually be. Of course scientists can swallow only so much and have ultimately relegated any possibility of ET life to that of only tiny life (micro-organisms) joy-riding the universe on comet tails, surfboards or whatever. Despite initially stating that the diversity of life on Earth (and that pinnacle of biology and intelligence – us!) may have evolved from a handful of such space-born micro-organisms, apparently taking that extra step and imagining that a similar kind of life (or, heaven forbid, a better kind of life) might have evolved on other planets and might one day visit Earth seems just too much for scientists to tolerate, at least for now.
However, one important point the program did make was the growing number of scientists now willing to at least accept the concept of Panspermia and that our ancestors might indeed have come from elsewhere, whether they began as microbial life or not. As it turns out bacteria are born space-dwellers, and if they are indeed our ancestors that might explain why some of us feel that call to space…
With the opening statement that if we went back far enough we’d find the ancestors of humans to be extraterrestrials, the show knew how to capture its viewers’ curiosity early. But once released back into the wilds of suburbia would this question get people really thinking, or would they yawn and flick channels to Extreme Makeover? Well we know some who did!
The idea of life on Earth being seeded from among the stars via natural processes is known as Panspermia. If we really did come from elsewhere then Panspermia requires a closer examination, and that’s exactly what the program did. However such crusades into our origins can be quite boring for most, hence the program being accompanied by 1950s music and B-grade alien movie images, and we loved it.
To solve the question of human origins the documentary began by re-examining the Red Rain that fell in Kerala (India) in 2001, although in their attempts to explain this peculiar phenomenon away as earthly, the ‘rain’ was said to be anything from bat blood to lichen spores. Samples of the ‘rain’ revealed cells containing no DNA - a curiosity in itself - and begged the question where did the micro-organisms come from? Taking viewers on a romp through the world of extremeophiles, life forms that live in extreme conditions, viewers were shown terrestrial places with extreme temperatures and chemistries while abundant with life.
As a species, we were told, we need to re-examine current notions about where and how life might exist, and Considering that micro-organisms have been found to exist even on spent rods of nuclear fuel, it leaves the mind boggling over how durable and adaptive life might actually be. Of course scientists can swallow only so much and have ultimately relegated any possibility of ET life to that of only tiny life (micro-organisms) joy-riding the universe on comet tails, surfboards or whatever. Despite initially stating that the diversity of life on Earth (and that pinnacle of biology and intelligence – us!) may have evolved from a handful of such space-born micro-organisms, apparently taking that extra step and imagining that a similar kind of life (or, heaven forbid, a better kind of life) might have evolved on other planets and might one day visit Earth seems just too much for scientists to tolerate, at least for now.
However, one important point the program did make was the growing number of scientists now willing to at least accept the concept of Panspermia and that our ancestors might indeed have come from elsewhere, whether they began as microbial life or not. As it turns out bacteria are born space-dwellers, and if they are indeed our ancestors that might explain why some of us feel that call to space…
1 comment:
Panspermia.
My guess is that earth is being used as a 'back-breeding' farm by a very advanced alien civilation; they could not wait for millions of years to pass while earth's animals developed sufficiently and currently have to mix their genes in periodically. See the earth's creatures - crows use a tool, primates understand some syntax etc. The Garden of Eden is a perfect allegory for the insertion- or clone - of a more developed species to go out and spread their genes to a wider, already existing people. This happens periodically to make sure the genepool is compatible with our alien advanced civilation.
This planet is being watched - it is important that it stay healthy - those who are abducted talk of advise given to them during their abductions - and this planet is needed. if my conclusion is correct, they are friends who care about our welfare and correct development, and they share their technology in indirect and secretive ways. They must be so far advanced that no paranoid institutions will stand in their way - these institutions just prevent us from open communication.
CarolynAnn
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