Applying 21st century technology to the design and development of a hypothetical extra-terrestrial colonisation programme, we reimagine ‘directed panspermia’ from the perspective of Crick and Orgel's ‘technological society’, 44 years after the publication of their original landmark paper.

Abstract Nobel laureate Frances Crick and renowned chemist Leslie Orgel are often credited with introducing the idea of “directed panspermia” in 1973. While they coined the term, the idea itself appeared in the scientific literature almost two decades earlier, and the first allusions can be traced back to 1930.

AbstractThe possibility of seeding other planets with life poses a tricky dilemma. On the one hand, directed panspermia might be extremely good, while, on the other, it might be extremely bad depending on what factors are taken into consideration. Therefore, we need to understand better what is ethically at stake with planetary seeding. I map out possible conditions under which humanity should spread life to other solar systems. I identify two key variables that affect the desirability of propagating life throughout the galaxy. The first is axiological and depends on which value theory in environmental ethics is correct. The second is empirical and depends on whether life is common or not in our region of the universe. I also consider two ethical objections to an interplanetary life-seeding mission: the risk of interfering with indigenous life and the risk of increasing suffering in our galaxy. The Cosmic Significance of Directed Panspermia: Should Humanity Spread Life to Other Solar Systems? | Utilitas | Cambridge Core Search Institution Login Search Hostname: page-component-66d9dcfd78-njmxx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-08-08T03:44:10.679Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false Home > Journals > Utilitas > Volume 34 Issue 2 > The Cosmic Significance of Directed Panspermia: Should... English Français Utilitas Article contents Abstract Introduction The favourable case Framework for evaluating interplanetary life-seeding Ethical objections to directed panspermia Conclusion Competing interests References The Cosmic Significance of Directed Panspermia: Should Humanity Spread Life to Other Solar Systems? On the one hand, directed panspermia might be extremely good, while, on the other, it might be extremely bad depending on what factors are taken into consideration. Therefore, we need to understand better what is ethically at stake with planetary seeding. I map out possible conditions under which humanity should spread life to other solar systems. I identify two key variables that affect the desirability of propagating life throughout the galaxy. The first is axiological and depends on which value theory in environmental ethics is correct. The second is empirical and depends on whether life is common or not in our region of the universe. The option ‘Seed other planets with life’ yields more positive value across the different views and yields a negative value only in the case of (3) – extra life does not count – because there are only costs for the society from wasting resources on planetary seeding. One could argue, though, that even the true costs would not be so high because the research for and development of directed panspermia would probably advance science and technology in ways that would benefit humans elsewhere. Table 1. However, life could continue to exist in our galaxy for a much longer time if it exists in a new solar system. (2) Life is valuable in itself. Or, it is better that life exists than not. (3) Life is possibly rare in our galaxy. (4) Existential risks threaten the future of humanity, and hence, the possibility of directed panspermia, we can conclude that: Conclusion: humanity has a prima facie duty to spread life to other solar systems. The argument for the favourable case depends heavily on premises 2 and 3. Therefore, a more fine-grained analysis is needed. Premise 2 is not a universal truth but an axiological view. A framework for defining the desirability of directed panspermia Anthropocentrism offers a rather low value for the desirability of directed panspermia regardless of the status of life in our part of the universe because it is unlikely that disseminating life will benefit humans greatly. Nevertheless, under anthropocentrism, humanity might wish to spread life if people have a strong interest to do so. This interest might stem from enthusiasm to take up a difficult challenge just for its own sake or from an interest to ease cosmic loneliness. Footnote 32 The desirability of directed panspermia, from an anthropocentric perspective, is contingent because humanity's values may change over time. 4.1 Interfering with local biota Thus far, the most critique directed panspermia has received focuses on the possibility of interfering with local biota. Footnote 48 This shows that this debate relates to the larger discussion about human activity more locally in space. Planetary protection protocols exist partly because we worry that, while exploring celestial objects in our solar system, we might interfere with indigenous life elsewhere. The Outer Space Treaty stipulates that harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies should be avoided. The primary strategy to avoid harmful contamination (i.e. The Cosmic Significance of Directed Panspermia: Should Humanity Spread Life to Other Solar Systems? Volume 34, Issue 2 Oskari Sivula (a1) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S095382082100042X Available formats PDF Please select a format to save. By using this service, you agree that you will only keep content for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services Please confirm that you accept the terms of use. Cancel Save × Save article to Google Drive To save this article to your Google Drive account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you used this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your Google Drive account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive . The Cosmic Significance of Directed Panspermia: Should Humanity Spread Life to Other Solar Systems? Volume 34, Issue 2 Oskari Sivula (a1) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S095382082100042X Available formats PDF Please select a format to save. By using this service, you agree that you will only keep content for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing

In the era of deep space exploration, extremophile research represents a key area of research w.r.t space survival. This review thus delves into the intriguing realm of 'Space and Astro Microbiology', providing insights into microbial survival, resilience, and behavioral adaptations in space-like environments. This discussion encompasses the modified behavior of extremophilic microorganisms, influencing virulence, stress resistance, and gene expression. It then shifts to recent studies on the International Space Station and simulated microgravity, revealing microbial responses that impact drug susceptibility, antibiotic resistance, and its commercial implications. The review then transitions into Astro microbiology, exploring the possibilities of interplanetary transit, lithopanspermia, and terraforming. Debates on life's origin and recent Martian meteorite discoveries are noted. We also discuss Proactive Inoculation Protocols for selecting adaptable microorganisms as terraforming pioneers. The discussion concludes with a note on microbes' role as bioengineers in bioregenerative life support systems, in recycling organic waste for sustainable space travel; and in promoting optimal plant growth to prepare Martian and lunar basalt. This piece emphasizes the transformative impact of microbes on the future of space exploration.

There are several ways that our species might try to send a message to another species separated from us by space and/or time. Synthetic biology might be used to write an epitaph to our species, or simply “Kilroy was here”, in the genome of a bacterium via the patterns of either (1) the codons to exploit Life's non-equilibrium character or (2) the bases themselves to exploit Life's quasi-equilibrium character. We suggest here how DNA movies might be designed using such patterns. We also suggest that a search for mechanisms to create and preserve such patterns might lead to a better understanding of modern cells. Finally, we argue that the cutting-edge microbiology and synthetic biology needed for the Kilroy project would put origin-of-life studies in the vanguard of research.

important to life, and supporting the notion of an RNA world prior to a DNA-based origin of life on Earth, and possibly, as well, the notion of panspermia. Asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid (thus 1 meter or larger) that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). Asteroids are rocky, metallic, or icy bodies with no atmosphere, and are broadly classified into C-type (carbonaceous), M-type (metallic), or S-type (silicaceous). The si It is unclear whether Martian moons Phobos and Deimos are captured asteroids or were formed due to impact event on Mars. Phobos and Deimos both have much in common with carbonaceous C-type asteroids, with spectra, albedo, and density very similar to those of C- or D-type asteroids. Based on their similarity, one hypothesis is that both moons may be captured main-belt asteroids. Both moons have very circular orbits which lie almost exactly in Mars's equatorial plane, and hence a capture origin requires a mechanism for circularizing the initially highly eccentric orbit, and adjusting its inclination into the equatorial plane, most probably by a combination of atmospheric drag and tidal forces, although it is not clear whether sufficient time was available for this to occur for Deimos. Capture also requires dissipation of energy. The current Martian atmosphere is too thin to capture a Phobos-sized object by atmospheric braking. Geoffrey A. Landis has pointed out that the capture could have occurred if the original body was a binary asteroid that separated under tidal forces. Phobos could be a second-generation Solar System object that coalesced in orbit after Mars formed, rather than forming concurrently out of the same birth cloud as Mars. Another hypothesis is that Mars was once surrounded by many Phobos- and Deimos-sized bodies, perhaps ejected into orbit around it by a collision with a large planetesimal. The high porosity of the interior of Phobos (based on the density of 1.88 g/cm3, voids are estimated to comprise 25 to 35 percent of Phobos's volume) is inconsistent with an asteroidal origin. Observations of Phobos in the thermal infrared suggest a composition containing mainly phyllosilicates, which are well known from the surface of Mars. The spectra are distinct from… J… Asteroids and the asteroid belt are a staple of science fiction stories. Asteroids play several potential roles in science fiction: as places human beings might colonize, resources for extracting minerals, hazards encountered by spacecraft traveling between two other points, and as a threat to life on Earth or other inhabited planets, dwarf planets, and natural satellites by potential impact.