Do Our DNA Codes Come From Space?
Did you know that scientists are discovering that the essential ingredients for life are incredibly widespread throughout the universe? Finally, we have access to the beginnings of a fundamental truth!
Today, we're detecting the so-called "building blocks of life," complex organic molecules, all around young stars and even in meteorites that crash into our world. We're talking about the bases of DNA, the amino acids that form our proteins, and even the components of cell membranes. What's fascinating is that these building blocks aren't inert. Lab experiments show they can assemble and recreate complex biological processes, like cellular respiration , just by simulating the cold of space. It's a cosmic dance that leads to life! On top of that, researchers have found sophisticated organic compounds on distant moons like Enceladus (near Saturn) and on Mars.
Organic molecules before the birth of life on Earth brought by meteorites
To go further, there was recently a decisive step that marked astrobiology in 2022. For decades, we had detected certain nitrogenous bases in meteorites, these fundamental elements that encode genetic information. But two were missing, the famous pyrimidines, which remained elusive, a bit like the key pieces of a cosmic puzzle. This is where the discovery of Professor Yasuhiro Oba of Hokkaido University caused a sensation: his team managed to formally identify cytosine and thymine in carbonaceous meteorites . Why is this so important for the scientific community and our quest for meaning? Because cytosine and thymine are essential to the very structure of DNA, and we now have the full panoply of life's informational building blocks delivered directly from space.
Then, in 2023, researchers from Lyon and Grenoble took a new step forward by demonstrating that water molecules are released when two amino acids in the extreme conditions of the universe. (See Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2023 ). This discovery strengthens the hypothesis that the amino acid chains necessary for the emergence of life could have formed directly in space.
That same year, Susana Iglesias-Groth's team at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias also made a historic discovery that supports the idea that life began in space. I quote: "The discovery of tryptophan (a amino acid) in space shows that protein building blocks, which are essential for the development of living organisms, exist naturally in regions where stars and planetary systems form." " This suggests that life in our galaxy may be far more common than we could have predicted ."
These recent discoveries further strengthen the hypothesis of a major extraterrestrial contribution to the emergence of life on Earth. They confront us with the idea that the assembly plan (the source code of life) was perhaps already in cosmic transit, ready to integrate into our planet. It is an ancient intuition that is materializing , connecting us even more deeply to the immensity and generosity of the cosmos.
Conclusion: Is life in the universe widespread?
What's the message? The abundance of these elements invites us to change our perspective. Carbon-based life is no longer a unique miracle that has only succeeded here, on our beautiful Earth. It could well become the norm, a phenomenon that occurs naturally as soon as the minimum conditions are met.
Over decades of research, scientists have increasingly observed and proven that the cosmos is capable of massively producing a multitude of complex molecules necessary for life. I quote René Trégouët, Editor-in-Chief of RT Flash: " These discoveries transform our perspective on one of humanity's most fundamental questions . For many scientists, the question is no longer whether extraterrestrial life exists, but rather when we will discover it. The universe is gradually revealing to us that it is full of the ingredients necessary for the emergence of life, suggesting that we are perhaps not alone in this cosmic immensity ." All the major discoveries are summarized in his article which I recommend to anyone passionate about the universe like me!
To further excite the mind about the macrocosmic dimension of life around us, let us recall that in our galaxy alone (the Milky Way) the most conservative estimates put the number of planets suitable for life at at least 500 million, out of approximately 140 billion stars.
