“Perhaps we’re all Martians”

One traditional way of addressing the question of the origin of life on Earth has long been simply to throw time at it.  If enough time elapses, so the thinking vaguely went, virtually anything can happen.  So it must have.  Case closed.  Move along.  There’s nothing to see here.

But, as the article below indicates, life arose really, really, really early on our planet:

“Life May Have Evolved Before Earth Finished Forming: The first organisms may have evolved before the rocky planets formed.”

Remember that, according to currently standard scientific estimates, Earth is approximately 4.54 billion years old.  Right now, “the earliest unambiguous signs of life” on it “date to about 3.8 billion years ago.”  In terms of geological and evolutionary-biological time, that indicates a remarkably early advent for living organisms.  After all, for the first phase of its existence — strikingly known as Earth’s “Hadean” period — life couldn’t have survived, and therefore couldn’t have arisen, here.

But now there are some advocating that life arose on Earth already 4.1 billion years ago or even 4.36 billion years ago — which means, effectively (and if true), that it appeared almost instantly, as soon as it possibly could have.

One possible way of explaining such early appearance might be to posit that life emerged on “planetesimals” or “photo-planets,” which is what the article above suggests.  Alternatively or conjoined with that idea would be the notion that biological organisms or at least the advanced chemical building blocks for biological activity were transported via a comet or other extraterrestrial object from, say, Mars, or even from beyond our solar system.

Of course, such suggestions don’t actually solve the ultimate problem of biogenesis.  They simply kick it further down the road or into the stars.

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Still broadly on the subject of life before or beyond Earth:

“Why the Idea of Alien Life Now Seems Inevitable and Even Imminent”

33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.

34 And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many.

35 But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.  (Moses 1)