Earth Life Possibly Could Reach Titan

dylanduck writes "New simulations show that big asteroid impacts on Earth could have sent about 600 million boulders flying into space. About 100 have reached Jupiter's moon Europa - but they landed at 24 miles/sec. 'This must be rather frustrating if you're a bacterium that survived launch from Earth,' says a researcher. But 30 boulders from each impact reach Titan - and they land gently." From the article: "'I thought the Titan result was really surprising - how many would get there and how slowly they'd land,' Treiman told New Scientist. 'The thing I don't know about is if there are any bugs on Earth that would be happy living on Titan.' Titan's surface temperature is a very cold -179C and its chemistry is very different from Earth's."

Its life Jim, but not as we know it.

[LiquidCoooled]

Lawyers.

They can survive anywhere.

The Bug Speaks.

[Anonymous Coward]

'This must be rather frustrating if you're a bacterium that survived launch from Earth'

On behalf of the League of Sentient One-Celled Organisms, I would like to assure you that it is nowhere near as frustrating as your high-handed, primitive, and anthropomorphic notions of bacterium emotion.

Actually in many of our cultures (and I use that term advisedly), being hurtled through a vacuum and smashing into a rock is considered to be a transcendent spiritual experience, and required as an initiation rite into our shamanic traditions.

Blow that into your Kleenex.

Obvious

[eclectro]

At -179C, the bacteria are gonna need parkas.

Re:Its life Jim, but not as we know it.

[dpreston]

Keith Richards and cockroaches my favorite quote (I forget who), "Keith will look over at the cockroach and say, 'You know, I smoked your uncle...'"

Re:That Would Be A Very Tough Bug

[iamlucky13]

Ok, I'll bite, how do they know they came from Earth rather than, say were asteroids?

Because they said they came from earth when they created the computer model the article is talking about. One of the nice things about computer models is it's relatively easy to control external effects, like asteroids.

Solar Billiards - v1.3.11
Please input the following earth-impactor parameters for your simulation

Impactor diameter (m): 5000
Impactor velocity (m/s): 12000
Ecliptic Declination (deg): 7.3

Please input the following solar system parameters for your simulation

Target diameter (km): 4000
Target solar altitude (AU): 15
System asteroid density (objects/AU^3): 0

Click start to begin

Calculating Trajectories...Done

Results:
Total impacts of earth origin: 107
Impacts of non-earth origin: 0

Congratulations! Impact count greater than 100! Click here to redeem your free iPod!

Re:One obvious implication

[ObjetDart]

In fact, it might have gone back and forth over the last few billion years.

Yikes, that's one helluva commute.

Maybe that explains why so many modern day humans don't seem to mind driving 2 hours each way to work every day. It's in our genes!

Re:Life on earth?

[jtorkbob]

Wow, what a novel idea! I think we've got an awesome new theory here.

Let's give it a name. How about panspermia [wikipedia.org]?

Or, you could just RTFA.

Well...

[AWhiteFlame]

Well, as long as they had an intel processor with them, they've got plenty of heat to survive.

Re:Airborne bacteria?

[Anonymous Coward]

As someday our triumphant ancestors, finally making First Contact, are killed by their cold remedies.

Re:Airborne bacteria?

[AnonymousKev]

s/ancestors/descendants/g

Unless, of course, time travel is also involved.

Re:Airborne bacteria?

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

> Wouldn't that be something if we've evolved from
> bacteria that was orginally the cause of some
> cold/illness of life on another planet?

Sci-fi authors are decades ahead of ya already. Someone wrote a story a long time ago where all life on earth evolved when an alien spacecraft stopped by a barrene, lifeless planet, and let the doglike creature out for...a poop. Bacteria in the p00p took a foothold and started evolving.

Now wouldn't that be something! The ultimate slap in the face to the Bible thumpers. Not only are you evolved from simple organisms, you are essentially a doop00pchugger at heart.

Re:Water Bears

[Abreu]

Was I the only one imagining gigantic versions of it?
With radioactive fire coming out of their mouths?
Destroying Tokio and New York?

Anyone?

Hello?

Oh bugger...

Metric system one spoon at a time

[Anonymous Coward]

Ok this time we compromised! We converted the 40 km/s of the article into 24 miles/sec, but kept the -179C unconverted.

For our next science article we will do the opposite. When we think you are ready -- but only then -- we won't convert anything and you'll be on your own.

Dinosaurs in Space

[truckaxle]

Could there possible be bits of dinosaur DNA orbiting around in the deep freeze of the solar system? or would high energy particles quickly destroy the DNA? Well if anything sounds a like a great mechanism for a movie. Man finds chunks of frozen desiccated dinosaur. Man brings back Dino DNA to earth and splices DNA with that of frogs, Man recreates Dinosaur species, Dinosaur eats Man. Appologies to Ian Malcolm...

Re:That Would Be A Very Tough Bug

[Gordo_1]

Riiiiight... and by "moon" you mean a soundstage in Nevada. [primeline-america.com] ;-)

It's life Jim, but not as we know it.

[Heembo]

Lawyers..

It's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead, Jim;
it's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead.

Re:Purple Sulphur Bacteria

[sukotto]

I saw a movie about that. Ripley escaped with the cat, but none of the other did. ;-)

Life finds a way

[SlappyBastard]

Put a bitch in heat on Titan, and I guarantee a dog will stud Titan into being a giant kennel in no time. Life is incredibly persistent.

Re:Panspermia

[adtifyj]

Your comment advocates a

(x) theological (x) philosophical ( ) scientific

theory for life. Your theory is not acceptable. Here is why it's useless. (One or more of the following may apply)

( ) It has been proven to be inaccurate
(x) It contains unprovable statements
( ) It doesn't propose any additions to knowledge
(x) It is not repeatable
( ) It can not be used to make predictions
(x) It purports to contain sufficient knowledge to live

Specifically, your theory fails to provide answers for

(x) When the universe first came into existence
(x) How the universe started
(x) How long will the universe exist
(x) Why life began
( ) Where life began
( ) How life began
( ) When did life begin
( ) How did life start on earth
(x) When did life start on earth
(x) Can extraterrestrial life exist
(x) Does extraterrestrial life exist
( ) What happens when we die
(x) Can we create life
(x) 42.

and the following philosophical objections prevent it from being taken seriously:

(x) The work this theory is based on is hotly contested by its many proponents and your position is not clear.
(x) This work is too vague to be useful
(x) This theory fails to acknowledge that the scientific method is constantly explaining acts previously attributed to gods
(x) Predictions made using this theory are usually wrong
(x) People who have supported this theory have also strongly denied theories now accepted as fact

Furthermore, this is what I think about you:

(x) Sorry dude, but you need to look up the definition of 'knowledge'.
( ) This is a stupid idea, and you're a stupid person for suggesting it.

Re:Its life Jim, but not as we know it.

[AndroidCat]

The contents of my fridge.

It's very cold and its chemistry is very different from Earth's.

Re:One thing -

[x2A]

but suffered some other short coming that lead to their extinction on Earth

like being blasted out into space *lol*

--
CD/DVD Duplicators (UK) [crispywater.com]

Re:Stupid question about stuff hitting earth

[Anonymous Coward]

The next time a 15km wide chunk of rock bounces off the planet, I'll be sure to get pictures of the size of the ejecta for you.