Difference between revisions of "Directed Panspermia"

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-'''Directed panspermia''' posits in regards to the question of [[origin of life]] on [[earth]] that "organisms were deliberately transmitted to the earth by [[Extraterrestrial life|intelligent beings on another planet]]."<ref name="SD">http://www.spacedaily.com/news/life-04zzz.html</ref>
-In 1973, Francis Crick and the chemist [[Leslie Orgel]] published an article in the [[International Journal of Solar System Studies]] (Icarus) which presented their Directed Panspermia proposal to the origin of life on earth.<ref name="SD" />
-The abstract for the aforementioned Icarus article stated the following:
-{{cquote|It now seems unlikely that extraterrestrial living organisms could have reached the earth either as [[spore]]s driven by the [[radiation]] pressure from another [[star]] or as living organisms imbedded in a [[meteorite]].
-As an alternative to these nineteenth-century mechanisms, we have considered Directed Panspermia, the theory that organisms were deliberately transmitted to the earth by [[Extraterrestrial life|intelligent beings on another planet]].
-We conclude that it is possible that life reached the earth in this way, but that the scientific evidence is inadequate at the present time to say anything about the probability.<ref name="SD" />}}
-== Behe's Criticism of the Materialistic Science of Francis Crick ==
-In 1992, the science magazine ''[[Scientific American]]'' published an interview  which explored Sir [[Francis Crick]]'s belief in the hypothesis Directed Panspermia as a proposed hypthesis for the [[origin of life]] on [[earth]].<ref name="DPW">http://www.genesispark.org/genpark/spongen/spongen.htm Reprint of an [[Creation Research Society Quarterly]] September 2001 article ''The Spontaneous Generation Hypothesis'' by David P. Woetzel</ref>
-Behe wrote regarding the Scientific American interview the following: {{cquote|The primary reason Crick subscribes to this unorthodox view is that he judges the undirected origin of life to be a virtually insurmountable obstacle, but he wants a naturalistic explanation. <ref name="DPW" />}}
-==Directed Panspermia Labeled Absurd Pseudoscience==
-In 2003, the [[Creation Science|creation science]] organization [[Creation Ministries International]] stated that Francis "Crick’s atheistic faith leads to absurd pseudoscience."<ref name="Alien">Bates, Gary, [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/125 Designed by aliens?], ''Creation'' 25(4):54–55, September 2003.</ref>
-Creation Ministries International further stated the following:
-{{cquote|Unfortunately, Crick was not being entirely forthright in this regard.  He does hold a religious view.  Atheism is a religion in the sense of answering the ‘big questions’, such as ‘Where did we come from?’ and ‘What is our destiny?’, and is foundationally a belief system, since the non-existence of God could hardly be said to have been proven!  So he must explain the origin of DNA from his religious perspective, and, subsequently, the origin of life on earth.<ref name="Alien" />}}
-Crick described himself as an [[agnostic]] with "a strong inclination towards [[atheism]]."<ref>Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: a Personal View of Scientific Discovery, Basic Books reprint edition, 1990, ISBN 0-465-09138-5, p. 145.</ref>
-==Directed Panspermia and Science Fiction==
-Directed panspermia is a major theme in a number of science fiction television shows.  Gene Roddenberry's ''Star Trek: the Next Generation'' has one episode positing panspermia as the origin of life for a number of species, and building on this idea to suggest the need for peace amongst those species with common ancestry.  ''Stargate SG-1'' also suggests all humanoid life is the result of panspermia from a predecessor, master humanoid race called only the "Ancients."
-==References==
-<references/>
-==See Also==
-* [[Panspermia]]
-[[Category:Biology]]

Difference between revisions of "Directed Panspermia"

Revision as of 21:52, May 23, 2010

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