"If i discover an asteroid comet or meteor coming this way (not that i'm saying I have) but if i did should i contact NASA?"
-
Question
What are the 3 main ideas on the origin of life?
I wish there were just three main ideas on the origin of life, but the situation is more complicated than that. Although scientists have made great progress in understanding the way complex organic compounds are formed both in space and on the ancient earth, they still do not know how life -- self-organizing systems with both metabolic functions and heredity -- arose. There are a number of recent books that discuss the origin of life, such as "Life Evolving: Molecules, Mind and Meaning" by Christian de Duve (Oxford 2002), "The Fifth Miracle: Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life" by Paul Davies (Simon & Shuster 1999), and "Origins of Life" by Freeman Dyson (Cambridge U. 1999).
David Morrison
NAI Senior Scientist
May 24, 2004
- After ten years and more than two thousand posted answers, David Morrison retires from answering Ask an Astrobiologist. Read his departing letter here
- How frequently are questions answered?
- I asked a question but there was no answer?
- Who is the Astrobiologist answering these questions?
- Will I get an email when my question is answered?
- What college courses should I take to become an astrobiologist?
- How can I get a job as an astrobiologist at NASA?
- Have aliens visited Earth? Are UFOs real?
- Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?
- Is it true that the Sun will be in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in December 2012 and that this will cause a pole shift and massive destruction.
- Has NASA discovered life on other worlds?
- Astrobiology Career Path Suggestions
