III. Ecosmos: A Revolutionary Fertile, Habitable, Solar-Bioplanet, Incubator Lifescape

G. An Astrochemistry to Astrobiological Spontaneity

Gusten, Rolf, et al. Astrophysical Detection of the Helium Hydride Ion HeH+. Nature. 568/357, 2019. MPI Radioastronomy and University of Cologne scientists report their novel findings of what is considered to be the earliest molecular form of cosmic nucleosynthesis. A popular article all about is First Molecule in the Universe by Ryan Fortenberry in Scientific American for February 2020.

During the dawn of chemistry, when the temperature of the young Universe had fallen below some 4,000 Kelvin, the ions of the light elements produced in Big Bang nucleosynthesis recombined in reverse order of their ionization potential. With their higher ionization potentials, the helium ions He2+ and He+ were the first to combine with free electrons, forming the first neutral atoms; the recombination of hydrogen followed. In this metal-free and low-density environment, neutral helium atoms formed the Universe’s first molecular bond in the helium hydride ion HeH+ through radiative association with protons.

Gwenaelie, Dufour and Steven Chamley.. New Bistable Solutions in Molecular Cloud Chemistry: Nitrogen and Carbon Autocatalysis. arXiv:2304.14477. NASA Goddard astrochemists quantify a presence of these self-making biocreative processes even across the interstellar celestial raiment. As a quote adds, a natural affinity can then be viewed with life’s Earthly developmental evolution.

We have studied interstellar clouds and found new bistable solutions in the nitrogen and carbon chemistries. The reactions for carbon chemistry occur at low densities and high ionization fractions that are not compatible with cold, dense clouds. Bistability in the pure nitrogen chemistry occurs for conditions that are relevant for prestellar cores in which CO depletion has taken place. We conclude that several autocatalyses are embedded in gas-phase interstellar chemistry and that many more are potentially present. (Abstract)

Nonlinear chemical systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium, such as those commonly found in astrophysical environments, can in principle exhibit multistability and complex dynamical evolution, including bistability, oscillations and chaos. Many chemical models of dense interstellar clouds have been developed since the early 1970s with astrochemical bistability first detected as steady-state solutions to their gas-phase kinetics. When a bifurcation occurs as a control parameter is varied, a nonlinear system may switch from a single stable solution to multiple simultaneous possible solutions, among which two at least are stable. (1) The fact that several autocatalyses are embedded in gas-phase interstellar chemistry, and yet only become active for certain combinations of the external control parameters, is consistent with the definition of autocatalysis in general chemical systems. (11)

Hatzes, Artie. The Architecture of Exoplanets. Space Science Reviews. 205/1-4, 2016. A Friedrich Schiller University, Jena astronomer divides this Earthwise study of a prolific cosmos known since 1995 to fill itself with orbital worlds into two phases. Before the 2009 Kepler satellite launch, our own home orrery was still used as the standard model. In the years since, all possible manner of celestial objects from planetesimals to small rocky orbs, super Earths, gas giants, and solar systems will a large range of stellar modes, often as binary pairs. But a analog of the familiar museum icon of nine planets in an orderly, circular series has not been found. Search Konstantin Batygin, et al for scientific reports, and The Way Forward at arXiv:1603.08238 about how studies might proceed as this auspicious finding sinks in.

Prior to the discovery of exoplanets our expectations of their architecture were largely driven by the properties of our solar system. We expected giant planets to lie in the outer regions and rocky planets in the inner regions. Planetary orbits should be circular, prograde and in the same plane. The reality of exoplanets have shattered these expectations. Jupiter-mass, Neptune-mass, Superearths, and even Earth-mass planets can orbit within 0.05 AU of the stars, sometimes with orbital periods of less than one day. Exoplanetary orbits can be eccentric, misaligned, and even in retrograde orbits. This was put on a firm statistical basis with the Kepler mission that clearly demonstrated that there were more Neptune- and Superearth-sized planets than Jupiter-sized planets. These are often in multiple, densely packed systems where the planets all orbit within 0.3 AU of the star, a result also suggested by radial velocity surveys. Exoplanets also exhibit diversity along the main sequence. Giant planets around low mass stars are rare, but these stars show an abundance of small (Neptune and Superearth) planets in multiple systems. We have yet to find a planetary system that is analogous to our own solar system. The question of how unique are the properties of our own solar system remains unanswered. Advancements in the detection methods of small planets over a wide range of orbital distances is needed before we gain a complete understanding of the architecture of exoplanetary systems. (Abstract)

Herbst, Eric and Ewine van Dishoeck. Complex Organic Interstellar Molecules. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Volume 47, 2009. Scientists from the Universities of Ohio State and Leiden write a lengthy review of the burgeoning list of biological precursors found to spring from and grace the realms of the nebulae. Examples from the six atom domain include Hydrocarbon: Methyltriacetylene CH3C6H, O-containing: Glycolaldehyde HOCH2CHO, N-containing: Vinylcyanide C2H3CN, S-containing: Methyl mercaptan CH3SH, and N & O containing: Acetamide CH3CONH2.

Of the over 150 different molecular species detected in the interstellar and circum stellar media, approximately 50 contain 6 or more atoms. These molecules...all contain the element carbon and so can be called organic. (427)

Herbst, Eric and John Yates. Astrochemistry. Chemical Reviews. 113/12, 2013. University of Virginia chemists introduce a special issue on the latest biomolecular findings across the interstellar medium. With advanced capabilities of instrumentation and computation, an innately animate cosmos that seeds itself with a complex array of precursor biological chemicals is quite evident. Chemistry in Protoplanetary Disks by Thomas Henning and Dmitry Semenov, and Astrophysically Relevant Ionic Reactions by Wolf Geppert and Mats Larsson are typical papers.

Horneck, Gerda and Christa Baumstark-Khan, eds. Astrobiology. Berlin: Springer, 2002. Extensive conference proceedings cover the range of celestial, planetary, biological and sociocultural aspects of a universe which is newly understood to sequentially complexify into sentient life.

Horneck, Gerda, et al. AstRoMap European Astrobiology Roadmap. Astrobiology. 16/3, 2016. Twenty scientists from nine countries, including Elke Pilat-Lohinger and Frances Westall, sketch a pathway for this project to explore an increasingly lively galaxy and universe. Five Research Topics are cited: Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems; Origins of Organic Compounds in Space; Rock-Water-Carbon Interactions, Organic Synthesis on Earth, and Steps to Life; Life and Habitability; and Biosignatures as Facilitating Life Detection.

Impey, Chris. The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe. New York: Random House, 2007. The University of Arizona professor of astronomy provides an authoritative course from historical notions to life’s cosmic origins, wide extremes, and evolutionary trek. The work goes on to muse about biological traces in our solar system, and lately prevalent distant worlds. Impey asks are we alone, how might we communicate with potential neighbors, and what does it all mean? But the larger issue of whether the cosmos may possesses its own innate vitality and animation, which awaits an intended human discovery, is not addressed.

Impey, Chris, et al, eds. Frontiers of Astrobiology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Due by November, its main sections will be: Astrobiology – A New Synthesis; Origins of Planets and Life; History of Life on Earth; Habitability of the Solar System; and Exoplanets and Life in the Galaxy.

Astrobiology is an exciting interdisciplinary field that seeks to answer one of the most important and profound questions: are we alone? In this volume, leading international experts explore the frontiers of astrobiology, investigating the latest research questions that will fascinate a wide interdisciplinary audience at all levels. What is the earliest evidence for life on Earth? Where are the most likely sites for life in the Solar System? Could life have evolved elsewhere in the Galaxy? What are the best strategies for detecting intelligent extraterrestrial life? How many habitable or Earth-like exoplanets are there? Progress in astrobiology over the past decade has been rapid and, with evidence accumulating that Mars once hosted standing bodies of liquid water, the discovery of over 500 exoplanets and new insights into how life began on Earth, the scientific search for our origins and place in the cosmos continues. (Publisher)

Irwin, Louis, et al. Assessing the Possibility of Biological Complexity on Other Worlds, with an Estimate of the Occurrence of Complex Life in the Milky Way Galaxy. Challenges. 5/1, 2014. With Abel Mendez, Alberto Fairen and Dirk Schulze-Makuch, UT El Paso, University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo, Cornell University, and Washingto State University astrobiologists propose a Biological Complexity Index and a Planetary Habitability Index to aid in assessing encounters with “growing confirmations that multiplanetary systems abound in the universe.”

Johnson, Jennifer, et al. The Origin of Elements across Cosmic Time. arXiv:1907.04388. This Astro2020 White Paper by seventeen scientists from American and European universities is a proposal for decadal studies to retrospectively quantify how nature’s biochemical array came to form. There are now over 360 Astro2020 postings on this site from thousands of international researchers and groupings. Every possible aspect seems to have been covered. See also for example, In Pursuit of Galactic Archaeology at 1907.05422, Scheduling Discovery in the 2020s at 1907.07817, and Climate Change Engagement in Astronomy Research and Education at 1907.08043.

The origin of the elements is fundamental to astronomy, with many issues such as the nature of Type Ia supernovae and timescale of their contributions; the observational identification of elements such as titanium and potassium; the origin of carbon and nitrogen and the influence of mixing and mass loss in winds; and the origin of the intermediate Cu, Ge, As, and Se elements in between charged-particle and neutron-capture reactions. The next decade will bring to maturity many new tools such as large-scale chemical cartography of the Milky Way, the addition of astrometric and asteroseismic information, and the detection of gravitational waves. (Abstract)

Kasting, James and David Catling. Evolution of a Habitable Planet. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. 41/429, 2003. A crucial factor is the formation of a sufficiently expansive liquid water zone.

Previous   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10  Next  [More Pages]