Very interesting is the point that this biological particulate matter has made impact craters on the surface of the collection strips....
'Dragon Particle': Scientists claim proof of extraterrestrial life here on Earth - Charleston News | Examiner.com
The search for extraterrestrial life seems to have achieved its goal in the discovery of a microscopic life-form called the "Dragon Particle." Scientists from the University of Sheffield and the University of Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology have announced -- along with the release of a photo of the entity -- that cosmic particulate matter exists in a pristine state, unsoiled (in a manner of speaking) by Earth matter, and is constantly raining down. It is further suggested that the minute life-forms may very well be evidence that life on Earth began somewhere out there -- in outer space.
The Hindu reported Oct. 11 that the tiny alien particle, which was discovered when Wainwright's team sent a balloon into the stratosphere during last year's Perseid meteor shower, apparently is abundant in Earth's stratosphere. Professor Milton Wainwright said that the photo of the entity he discovered shows a structure they have taken to calling “the dragon particle,” due to its somewhat quasi-dragon-like features. Scientific analysis shows that the particle is made of carbon and oxygen, proving that it is not a piece of cosmic or volcanic dust.
The dragon particle is about 10 micron in size, and Wainwright admitted to the Daily Express that it remains unclear whether it is a single organism or if it might be made up of smaller, individual microbes. He added that it was "like nothing found on Earth," pointing out that the particles appear on the sampling stubs in an absolutely pristine condition. There is no pollen, grass or pollution particles found with them. There is also no soil or volcanic dust, no contaminants whatsoever.
Wainwright further explained the position that the biological entity was extraterrestrial: “Unless a means of lifting them from Earth exists which selectively sieves them out from other Earth-derived debris then they must be incoming from space. This, plus the fact that some of the biological material samples by the team produce impact craters when they hit the sampler, confirms their space origin.”
Writing in the Journal of Cosmology, Prof. Wainwright noted that particles likely arrived via comet. They appear to have been part of an "aquatic" environment.
But as hopeful as Prof. Wainwright's discovery might lean, even the professor himself is only 95 percent certain that the dragon particle is actually a living organism. And the skeptical are quick to point out that it very well might not be anything alive.
"There is probably truth to the report that they find curious stuff in the atmosphere," Chris McKay, an astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., told SPACE.com via email. "The jump to the conclusion that it is alien life is a big jump and would require quite extraordinary proof." (McKay was referring to the Carl Sagan rule that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
But if Wainwright and his team are correct, it would be proof of extraterrestrial life. Taking the position that all life on Earth might have originated by just such particulates, the find could go a long way in supporting the theory of Panspermia, which posits that living organisms of Earth -- and perhaps throughout the universe -- were "seeded" from amino acids and biological molecules from space. Wainwright's colleague, astrobiologist Chandra Wickramasinghe from the University of Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, was the co-developer, along with astronomer Fred Hoyle, of the Panspermia theory.
'Dragon Particle': Scientists claim proof of extraterrestrial life here on Earth - Charleston News | Examiner.com
The search for extraterrestrial life seems to have achieved its goal in the discovery of a microscopic life-form called the "Dragon Particle." Scientists from the University of Sheffield and the University of Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology have announced -- along with the release of a photo of the entity -- that cosmic particulate matter exists in a pristine state, unsoiled (in a manner of speaking) by Earth matter, and is constantly raining down. It is further suggested that the minute life-forms may very well be evidence that life on Earth began somewhere out there -- in outer space.
The Hindu reported Oct. 11 that the tiny alien particle, which was discovered when Wainwright's team sent a balloon into the stratosphere during last year's Perseid meteor shower, apparently is abundant in Earth's stratosphere. Professor Milton Wainwright said that the photo of the entity he discovered shows a structure they have taken to calling “the dragon particle,” due to its somewhat quasi-dragon-like features. Scientific analysis shows that the particle is made of carbon and oxygen, proving that it is not a piece of cosmic or volcanic dust.
The dragon particle is about 10 micron in size, and Wainwright admitted to the Daily Express that it remains unclear whether it is a single organism or if it might be made up of smaller, individual microbes. He added that it was "like nothing found on Earth," pointing out that the particles appear on the sampling stubs in an absolutely pristine condition. There is no pollen, grass or pollution particles found with them. There is also no soil or volcanic dust, no contaminants whatsoever.
Wainwright further explained the position that the biological entity was extraterrestrial: “Unless a means of lifting them from Earth exists which selectively sieves them out from other Earth-derived debris then they must be incoming from space. This, plus the fact that some of the biological material samples by the team produce impact craters when they hit the sampler, confirms their space origin.”
Writing in the Journal of Cosmology, Prof. Wainwright noted that particles likely arrived via comet. They appear to have been part of an "aquatic" environment.
But as hopeful as Prof. Wainwright's discovery might lean, even the professor himself is only 95 percent certain that the dragon particle is actually a living organism. And the skeptical are quick to point out that it very well might not be anything alive.
"There is probably truth to the report that they find curious stuff in the atmosphere," Chris McKay, an astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., told SPACE.com via email. "The jump to the conclusion that it is alien life is a big jump and would require quite extraordinary proof." (McKay was referring to the Carl Sagan rule that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
But if Wainwright and his team are correct, it would be proof of extraterrestrial life. Taking the position that all life on Earth might have originated by just such particulates, the find could go a long way in supporting the theory of Panspermia, which posits that living organisms of Earth -- and perhaps throughout the universe -- were "seeded" from amino acids and biological molecules from space. Wainwright's colleague, astrobiologist Chandra Wickramasinghe from the University of Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, was the co-developer, along with astronomer Fred Hoyle, of the Panspermia theory.
'Dragon Particle': Scientists claim proof of extraterrestrial life here on Earth
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