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- The hypothesis that life is unique to Earth could prove
to be just as implausible as theories of Divine Creation. Chemist Robert
Shapiro suggests that the laws of nature might favor the generation of
life throughout the universe.
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- Cellular life may arise as a predictable result of organic
chemistry and the physics of self-organizing systems. Pat Rawlings, for
JPL
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- Shapiro's arguments are presented in "Prebiotic
cytosine synthesis: A critical analysis and implications for the origin
of life," in the April 13, 1999, Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences.
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- Shapiro, a professor of chemistry at New York University,
also lays out his argument in a new book entitled Planetary Dreams, published
by John Wiley & Sons. In the book and paper, Shapiro argues that standard
origin-of-life theories are badly flawed. Such theories are dependent on
a miraculous event: the once-in-a-universe spontaneous generation of nucleic
acids DNA or RNA that make up plant, animal, and microbial genes or some
related molecule.
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- Shapiro, a specialist in the chemistry of DNA and RNA,
marshals an array of data to argue that the simplest kind of cellular life
may arise as a predictable result of organic chemistry and the physics
of self-organizing systems whenever planets exist with the right constituents
and conditions: a liquid or dense gas medium (not necessarily water), a
suitable energy source, and a system of matter capable of using the energy
to organize itself. He calls this hypothesis the "life principle."
Furthermore, he argues that no predictable directions exist for life's
later development from these basic beginnings.
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- In addition, he argues that humankind's search for life
beyond Earth should continue to focus on those nearby worlds -- Mars, Jupiter's
moon Europa and Saturn's moon Titan -- where the conditions appear to support
the development of life.
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- This artist rendering shows a proposed ice-penetrating
cryobot and a submersible hydrobot that could be used to explore the ice-covered
ocean on Jupiter's large satellite, Europa. Robert Shapiro argues that
humankind's search for life beyond Earth should continue to focus on Europa
as well as on Mars and Saturn's moon Titan. Pat Rawlings, for JPL
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- He writes, "The debate over extraterrestrial life
has been carried out with a great deal of passion, but with little progress,
for centuries. Only in the last decades have we gained the ability to move
it forward by collecting data at close range. We can send robots to inspect
likely worlds such as Mars, Europa and Titan, and return photographs, information
and samples, or, if we choose, we can go there ourselves and look around.
We may find existing life, remnants of extinct life, or chemical systems
evolving in the direction of life. Alternatively, we may encounter monotonous
wastelands, lacking any sign that a process relevant to life has taken
place there. The results will help decide which of two very different views
of the Universe is more nearly correct."
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