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Space Hand-Me-Downs
September 17, 2009 / Written by: Michael Schirber
Much of the biology on Earth involves molecules that are oriented in a left-handed direction. A proposed nano-satellite would carry up some of these bio-molecules to see if something in space might be responsible for this left-handed excess. The project is part of the Astrobiology Science and Technology Instrument Development and Mission Concept Studies.
Source: [astrobio.net]
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Sky Shields said:
How great!
Did you know that Pasteur proposed something similar for the extraterrestrial origin of handedness in living organisms? He thought that life may have originated by passing through a space that exhibited “handedness” either in the form of polarized electromagnetic radiation, or otherwise. Pasteur’s theory is discussed by Vernadsky in an essay called On The States of Physical Space. He states that experiment showed that energetic phenomena were not able to generate abiogenesis of the sort Pasteur proposed, but that something similar might in fact be possible. His conclusion is that handedness and five-fold symmetries on the one hand, and negentropic development and the tendency towards increasing complexity — along with other peculiar temporal properties of life — on the other hand, lead to the possibility of a different expression of space-time within living matter.
Vernadsky has detailed discussions with N. N. Luzin on this matter (we’ve just translated their correspondence, but have not yet published it) and presents some of his conclusions in his Problems of Biogeochemistry II.
If space-time actually differs “within” a living organism, giving rise to chirality (handedness) among other phenomena, it would be interesting to try several other experiments with that nano-satellite of yours as well:
1) In how far and what way to the conclusions of special and general relativity apply to living matter? Would the space time of a living organism permit something like the “twin paradox” to actually occur as it is hypothesized? It would be good to accelerate life to a velocity which is a significant fraction of the speed of light.
2) Long distance space travel might be best carried out under constant acceleration designed to mimic one-Earth-gravity. What might the biological effects of that be? And, is acceleration really enough to mimic a gravitational field for a living organism? Aren’t there electromagnetic properties of gravitating matter, besides acceleration, which are being neglected?
Hmm. I’m noticing, however, that I’m the only one to comment on this article. Is there anybody else here?