For many years, we have imagined the idea of finding alien life on distant planets and assumed that only planet needs are essential for life to grow. However, recent studies have begun to challenge this assumption.
A new paper was accepted for publication in the Journal of Astrobiology, which shows that life may not need planets to grow. This is a mind-blowing concept that supports the idea, that alien life can grow independently in space.
Why do we assume life can only occur on planets?
The planet is the obvious choice for searching for life. Because planets have possible stable atmospheres, liquid water, and essential elements, such type of environment is habitable for organisms to grow.
Our planet Earth has many characteristics that make it habitable. Our planet’s atmosphere has liquid water, and it regulates the temperature while the gravity of Earth does not lose any gases like oxygen or nitrogen. Abundant sunlight also powers life processes to evolve.
While considering this study, we consider the basic question of astrobiology: could life sustain itself in the vacuum of space without any atmosphere, liquid water, and support of planetary surface?
If we look, we can see space-based life: astronauts aboard the International Space Station live in space. Though they depend on resources that are taken from Earth, their living shows that life can survive in space under controlled conditions.
Except for the astronauts, the other life forms may not require constant resource input. For example, Tardigrades, a tiny resilient organism known to live in the harsh conditions of space, includes exposure to cosmic radiation and vacuum.
Challenges for Life Without Planets
There are many challenges for the community of organisms in space. Here are some of the challenges
To survive the vacuum of space, organisms must maintain their internal pressure. This sounds difficult, but it’s possible. The pressure difference between the surface of water and a dip of 30 feet of water is similar to that found in space. There are many tiny organisms can tolerate such variations in internal pressure.
Our atmosphere helps organisms to stabilise temperatures by trapping heat. But for space-based organisms for space-based organisms would have to find space-based organisms would have to find alternative methods to regulate their temperature.
On Earth, there are many small life, like the Saharan silver ant, that regulate their temperature by controlling which wavelengths of light they have to absorb or reflect. Could space-growing organisms develop similar techniques?
Another challenge is the loss of lightweight elements. Planets keep their elements in gravity, but space-based organisms would struggle with such a problem. This life organism would need to find ways to refill these elements over time.
Last, a life colony must be positioned within the habitable zone of its star to absorb sunlight. Sunlight provides energy to grow life.
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