Scientists ‘Very, Very Confident’ They’ve Found Extraterrestrial Life – See What It Looks Like
Scientists at a British university say they are confident they found evidence of life that originated in space.
Researchers at the University of
Sheffield sent a scientific balloon into the stratosphere — often
described as the edge of space — during a Perseid meteor shower, which
collected small organisms they believe are not from Earth.
“Most people will assume that these
biological particles must have just drifted up to the stratosphere from
Earth, but it is generally accepted that a particle of the size found
cannot be lifted from Earth to heights of, for example, 27km. The only
known exception is by a violent volcanic eruption, none of which
occurred within three years of the sampling trip,” professor Milton
Wainwright said in a statement.
One of the organisms the researchers believe to be from space. (Photo: University of Sheffield/Journal of Cosmology)
“In the absence of a mechanism by which
large particles like these can be transported to the stratosphere we
can only conclude that the biological entities originated from space.
Our conclusion then is that life is continually arriving to Earth from
space, life is not restricted to this planet and it almost certainly did
not originate here.”
If this is in fact the case, Wainwright said it would “change our view of biology and evolution.”
“New textbooks will have to be written!” he added.
