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> Earth was inhospitable until 3.8Gya There is much uncertainty about this. The early Earth was a volatile place with a lot of raw materials and energy availab
by jl6 2y ago
> Earth was inhospitable until 3.8Gya
There is much uncertainty about this. The early Earth was a volatile place with a lot of raw materials and energy available, and a lot of chemistry happening. I wouldn't rule out that some part of Earth may have had the right conditions for life right from the beginning. Certainly if we expect life to be able to survive a ride on a piece of ejecta from Mars, it's plausible to imagine it surviving in some boundary niche amidst the heat and fury of the Hadean Earth.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago> wouldn't rule out that some part of Earth may have had the right conditions for life right from the beginning Even if it was, it wouldn't have survived the impact that created the Moon.
- jl6 2y agoBear in mind that hypothesized impact is estimated to have occurred around the 4.5Gya mark. That’s still a lot further back than 3.8Gya. And I still wouldn’t categorically rule out microscopic life/life-precursors surviving the event somehow.
- Kerbonut 2y agoWhat if Mars collided with Earth and that's what killed Mars and transferred life to Earth and also made the moon?
- adastra22 2y agoGeological evidence shows that the earth’s crust was molten until 3.8Gya. This corresponds with the ending of the late heavy bombardment on the moon, which Apollo samples dated. It’s hard to imagine life persisting in or around a magma ocean.
- bmitc 2y agoI think generally speaking people refer to life arriving and then staying as the start of life on Earth. You're probably right that it could have been and likely was spontaneously popping up and then disappearing on Earth prior to the pretty massive window as when we believe life to have "began" on Earth.