Prof. Dr. Richard B. Hoover, D.Sc., h.c. (RAS)
Does life exist only on Earth or is it widely distributed throughout the Universe? All known forms of life require liquid water, a source of energy and a small group of the 118 elements known. Water, the most abundant compound in the Universe, has unique properties such that all deep oceans of planets and moons of the Universe are alike. Space Missions have discovered water ice in deep craters at the lunar poles and liquid water oceans beneath the crusts of virtually every icy moon and planet of the Solar System. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has produced spectacular images of star nurseries in Carina and discovered Dimethylsulfide (DMS) on an Exoplanet and giant spiral galaxies in the Cosmic Dark Ages, which challenge the validity of the Big Bang Theory. Only four chemical elements – Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O) and Nitrogen (N) – comprise over 98% of all living cells. CHON particles are formed by nuclear fusion processes in hot stars; spewed from supernovae and delivered to the early Earth along with water, organics and perhaps even life itself. Expeditions to the most hostile environments of Earth have revealed that life thrives everywhere – from deep sea volcanic vents and deep hot crustal rocks to polar glaciers and Siberian permafrost. Crinoids crawl over rocks in the deepest trenches of the oceans and ice worms coat themselves with antifreeze proteins to melt ice and eat the frozen algae trapped within. Diatoms build beautiful shells of opaline silica. They are the most abundant plants of the oceans and polar regions and produce over 50% of the oxygen we breath by photosynthesis. They can live in total darkness in polar ice and deep beneath the ocean surface by altering their photosynthetic machinery to obtain energy by consuming hydrogen and organic molecules. Astronomical studies have shown the silica of diatom shells closely matches the infrared spectra of
interstellar dust toward the Trapezium Nebula and the center of our galaxy. Complex biomolecules such
DMS, chlorophyll and luciferase that are made only by living organisms have been found in previously unidentified spectral lines of comets. Pristine samples of the asteroid Ryugu returned by the Hyabusa 2 spacecraft have been found to contain low-density boulders, DMS, L-amino acids and DNA nucleobases. Complex biomolecules and indigenous fossil of spectacular diatoms and bizarre biological forms have been found in the Polonnaruwa and Orgueil meteorites. Neutron Activation Analysis at the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia revealed radiogenic Heat Producing Elements (HPE’s) in the exotic low-density meteorites he collected in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. These HPE’s (K, U, Th), which are the major source of heat in crustal granites of the Earth, Moon, Mars and Pluto provide support for the “Wet Panspermia” Hypothesis that provide a mechanism for the interstellar or intergalactic transfer of intact biospheres. This heavily illustrated presentation will demonstrate the spectacular beauty the microworld and planets, nebulae, and galaxies of the Cosmos; exotic rocks and microfossils of meteorites and the wonders and mysteries of the origin of life and the Cosmic Distribution on Biospheres.
Did You Know?
December: Tanzanite – Named for Tanzania, the country where it was discovered in 1967, this popular gemstone is the blue-to-violet or purple variety of the mineral zoisite. Zircon – Best known for its brilliant blue hues, zircon’s optical properties make it bright and lustrous. It also occurs in warm autumnal yellows, reds, and reddish browns, and in green hues. Turquoise – This vivid blue gemstone is a rare phosphate of copper that forms only in the Earth’s most dry and barren regions. Ancient peoples from Egypt to Mesoamerica and China treasured it. Source: 
