Is there life out there, beyond that of planet Earth? Some might say yes, others are not too sure, while even others claim that there is no chance of life being supported outside of our planet. In fact, a NASA scientist has claimed that there are 1 billion ‘earths’ and counting, but let us place our focus on what comet probe Philae has picked up recently. Philae apparently detected a bunch of elements that are said to be essential to life as it landed last November on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The comet on which it made landfall was said to come with a minimum of 16 organic compounds, where a quartet of them have not been picked up before on other comets before this. It remains to be known whether the complex, carbon- and nitrogen-rich molecules were formed early on when the solar system came into existence, or whether it happened later on the comet, as existing tools of science are unable to reveal such details.
It is speculated that their existence “could have played a key role in fostering the formation” of amino acids, sugars and nucleobases, which so happens to be the ingredients for life, according to the European Space Agency. Do bear in mind that having the right ingredients does not mean the desired outcome can be achieved, as there is still the question of intelligent design that needs to be answered. [Press Release]
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