Bizarre creatures that can go without water for years … And here are some that can survive in the thin space of an open environment … Some of the most unusual organisms found on Earth may allow planetary scientists from Washington State University to predict what life might be outside the Earth.
Last month, NASA discovered 500 new planets near the constellations Lyra and Cygnus in the Milky Way galaxy. This sparked a new wave of talk about extraterrestrial life. In a recently published article in Life magazine, Dirk Schulz-Makush, a State University scientist, drawing on what science knows about the most extreme forms of life on Earth, as well as the environment of Mars and Titan, tried to draw a clear picture of what could be life on other planets. His work was also supported by the European Research Council.
“If we don't explore different options for what life in the universe might be like, then we won't know what to look for,” says Schultz-Makush. "We do not proclaim the existence of extraterrestrial organisms, but we want to note that if they do exist, then they must follow physical, chemical, and biological laws."
For example, on Earth, a variety of beetles called bombardiers release an explosive mixture of hydrogen peroxide and other chemicals to ward off predators.
"On other planets, under conditions of gravity similar to Martian, bombardiers could spray this mixture up to 300 meters," adds Schulz-Makush.
While on Mars, researchers could theoretically find creatures similar to those on Earth, life on space objects like Titan would require entirely new biochemistry. Its discovery would be a landmark scientific achievement with serious consequences.
Life on Mars
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Terrestrial life, with its unique set of biochemical tools, could actually exist on planets like Mars with a few new adaptations.
Organisms would have to find a way to get water in an environment that is drier and colder than the Chilean Atacama Desert. According to Schultz-Makush, a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide could replace the intracellular fluid.
Hydrogen peroxide is a natural antifreeze that would help microorganisms survive in the cold Mars winters. At the same time, it has a hygroscopic property, which means that it is able to naturally attract water molecules from the atmosphere.
In the daytime, plant organisms on a Martian-like surface could synthesize hydrogen peroxide. At night, when the atmosphere is relatively humid, they could use their accumulated supply of hydrogen peroxide to absorb water from the atmosphere. According to Schultz-Makush, more complex alien creatures, reminiscent of the terrestrial bombardier beetle, could use such plant organisms as a source of food and water.
Life on Titan
Due to its greater distance from the Sun, Titan is much colder than Earth. The temperature on its surface averages -290 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, there is no liquid water on the surface, and there is no carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we know, these two chemical components are essential for life.
If life existed on Titan or a space body like Titan, then water would not serve as the intracellular fluid. One option is a liquid hydrocarbon like methane or ethane. Like terrestrial organisms living in water, life forms that don't use water could exist in lakes and seas of liquid methane and ethane, which make up most of Titan's surface, Schultz-Makush said.
Because of the cold environment, these hypothetical organisms would have huge (by Earth's standards) cells that metabolize very slowly. In view of this, the evolution and aging of organisms would be much slower than on Earth. This could significantly increase the lifespan of individual organisms.
“However, all these are just our assumptions. Only the discovery of extraterrestrial life and the second biosphere will allow us to test these hypotheses,”says the scientist. "This would certainly be one of the greatest achievements of our species."