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Life's origin: the cosmic, planetary and biological processesFrom elements formed in interstellar furnaces to humans peering back at the stars, the evolution of life has been a long, intricate and perhaps inevitable process. Life as we know it requires a planet orbiting a star at just the right distance so that water can exist in liquid form. It needs a rich supply of chemicals and energy sources. On Earth, the combination of chemistry and energy generated molecules that evolved ways of replicating themselves and of passing information from one generation to the next. Thus, the thread of life began. This chart traces the thread, maintained by DNA molecules for much of its history, as it weaves its way through the primitive oceans, gaining strength and diversity along the way. Organisms eventually moved onto the land, where advanced forms, including humans, ultimately arose. Finally, assisted by a technology of its own making, life has reached back out into space to understand its own origins, to expand into new realms, and to seek other living threads in the cosmos.
Document ID
20040089848
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Scattergood, T.
(Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the State University of New York at Stony Brook United States)
Des Marais, D.
Jahnke, L.
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1987
Publication Information
Publication: The Planetary report
Volume: 7
Issue: 6
ISSN: 0736-3680
Subject Category
Exobiology
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
NASA Center ARC
NASA Discipline Exobiology
NASA Discipline Number 52-30
NASA Program Exobiology

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