THE EARTH AND THE POSSIBLE ASPECTS OF ASTROBIOLOGY

“When you look at the sky, doubting the existence of other worlds, you should know that somewhere some creature is just watching a sky and doubting your existence.”

-Author Unknown 

   The life in the universe has been always the challenge number one for the planetary science and the hot issue of cosmology. It is almost like a never ending competition among researchers to prove or to deny the existence of Aliens or something which could be considered as a life form. For majority of space explorers, it is just a matter of time when we will finally be sure that we are not the only one in the big and unlimited  universe.

Ambitions of scientists are not only those which should be taken as futuristic (e.g. the discovery of new civilizations in the space) They are also the realistic and linked with the discovery of microbiological elements out of Earth. In other words, the cosmic microbes are something we should expect to be detected in the near future. The first grade on the colonization of the world which has never been ours but we are not sure who we share it with.

Astrobiology is a new discipline which tries to answer on our questions, doubts and hopes about the  extraterrestrial life forms. The step forward after so many steps back is definitely the discovery of the team led by Professor Milton Wainwright from the University of Sheffield. The mentioned research group has found something what could be defined as aliens microbes. They designed the specific balloon which has been sent about 27 km into the stratosphere during the Perseid meteor shower. It was launched near Chester but it safely landed in Wakefield, bringing the new and potential life forms collected on the surface. The astronomers are convinced that the life particles are not from Earth but from outer space.:“Our conclusion then is that life is continually arriving to Earth from space, life is not restricted to this planet and it almost certainly did not originate here”.  

The ideas about the life forms in the space sound very thrilling so we shouldn’t be surprised about the numerous tabloid stories about the successful conquest of our solar system. After the Roswell conspiracy, it seems that world’s population is more interested in finding clone of the Earth than to find new race stuck in some part of the universe we have no clue about. We are destroying our own planet so we must hurry up to find another one and to start with the process of colonization. This is not an easy task. The new planet must be the twin of ours in qualitative physical- chemical sense  and in quantitative terms , as well as  in the  terms of sheer size.

Mark Lupisella comes out with some objectives regarding the astrobiology concepts viewed by earth’s patterns. For him, the epistemological platform must be covered by the concerns of only one species biology.How we will deal with the possible completely independent but intelligent life forms and (in) ability to understand the organic status of the planet ?The new discovered cosmological entity will cause the political consequences and the understanding of the social impacts on the human race. Our science always starts with the oxygen as an alpha and omega of the potential life forms. Maybe the other residents of the space don’t need oxygen for their existence but they cant survive without carbon monoxide. The main problem is our human approach with no space for space causalities.

Colonization of Mars or Jupiter’s moon Europe could be the good choice of people’s dissemination out of our wounded Planet. We have a chance to attack red rocks on Mars  or mystical ice on Europe but we have no right to take over what is not ours. Carl Sagan once said that space colonization is a political mega dream above all. Even if we find amoebas out there, we must not disturb their homes for our own sake. That is a moral debate which has no place in greedy world.  But, Margaret Race and Richard Randolph in their joint research work  ask the global community to create the law which would define the legal terms about the potential space life forms.At least, it is some beginning and some limitations for humans to not destroy other planets like they destroy the planet they live in.

The actual research of this kind have been started with NASA attempt to find biological agents in the space.  Catharine Conley, the officer from the NASA space program , believes that the essential thing  for world is to protect our Planet from the potential microbes from the space and in the same time to ensure the microbiological  isolation of the place we are planing to visit and study.Since the Curiosity was launched on Mars in 2011, there are big efforts from the scientists  to evolve the rational measures of mutual protections of the biological systems, here and there.

There are no technical confirmations of existence of microbes on the Red Planet but it must be something somewhere. According to the rover shoots, the land of the Mars is colored by potential surfaces for water which means that basic conditions for life could be settled. This is the main reason why researchers must count on the urgency to set the regulations about the contamination and to develop the adequate technology for observing the Mars full beauty and volume. Elisabeth Howell states that we aren’t advanced so much in science so we can detect the presence of virus in some of the fossil rocks on Mars. Some laboratories come out with virus markers because it is concluded that there were viruses on the early stage of Red Planet but as the time has passed, they have become the ingredients of the rock design, protected by silicium  of that planet. When the silicium is gone, the virus is not anymore  in hibernation and starts to adjusts to the current environment.

Andrew C. Schuerger, microbiologist from the Kennedy Space Center has made one simulation and tried to produce microbes in the conditions as they are on Mars. We are talking about some sort of artificial laboratory with the purpose to show us what kind of microorganisms would survive on the harsh planet like this red is. The fact that pathogens have a perfect ability to survive in all conditions keep us aware that some space microbes would be maybe worst. The violet bacterium, for example, reacts very well on the space living conditions because of its own photosynthetic structure.Vincent Racaniello, the immunologist from Columbia University doubts that people would infect themselves with some space germ but he is sure that Earth’s equipment could be easily contaminated and if anything comes here, it could be very adaptive but also very aggressive for our ecosystem. The question is if any microbe would survive long cosmic journey and Earth’s surroundings but we must think about all.Preventive is the most important policy when it comes to the space exploration.

How we can imagine our Mars?  We should imagine the polar desert of Antarctic, what is very similar to Mars because it has no so much water but with lot of  ultraviolet radiation.The amount of radiation is not equal to that on Red Planet but it is also too high for Earth’s life. However, the life is over there. Bacterial  form of life and not only in soil but also in rock configuration of the area. Mars consists of 95% of carbon dioxide and almost with zero oxygen but this Earth’s Mars is also very unpopular for survival but it doesn’t stop bacterial living forms to consume so called non-organic carbon dioxide and to evolve its biological components. The domination of oxygen doesn’t mean the life as itself and the absence of oxygen doesn’t mean the absence of life as itself too. Problem for Mars is a lack of nitrogen ( total of 3%) but the Earth has about 78% which the biological diversity is more than a guaranteed. Nitrogen is a more than important for biological development so based on this, Mars has no big potential for rich bio system

Europe is a hidden beauty of our galaxy. Jupiter doesn’t let us see it closer as its own moon but there are eventual circumstances that the deep ice covers the liquid water because the core of the Europe emits warmth and energy so it is logical that the water is warm and liquid. What could live over there ? The parallel could be found in  Antarctic’s lake Vostok which offers bacteria what survives the most ultimate life conditions. If Europe and Vostok share some similar life conditions, it doesn’t mean that we are able to build a good model for life forms study.  The cases are diametrically opposite and one model couldn’t be ideal.

I am afraid that we didn’t learn about our domestic pathogens and that we are not yet  ready for alien microbes. The Earth is still unknown but we managed to destroy it. Maybe Mars and Europe will keep their real beauties far away from the Blue Planet’s predators and maybe one day, some generations of scientists will make it and see the hidden worlds of those planets and be forever impressed by them.