Abstract
The discovery of possible traces of life in a Martian meteorite [McKay et al., 1996] calls to mind a 100‐year‐old dispute between Sir William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) and the Nobel Prize winning Swedish scientist, Svante August Arrhenius. Both scientists believed that life on our planet was brought from another planet, rather than having originated from inorganic matter here on Earth. However, the two scientists had very different ideas about the mechanism through which this life would be transported. Lord Kelvin believed that life was brought to Earth by "countless seed‐bearing meteoritic stones" that could be produced through collisions between other inhabited planets in diferent parts of our galaxy [Thomson, 1871]. Svante Arrhenius agued that "The carbon found in meteorites has never exhibited any trace of organic structure," and if in fact meteorites are the "conveyor of life germs," those germs would be burned up in the atmosphere of the planet on which they descended [Arrhenius, 1908].
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.