{"id":10499,"date":"2022-03-07T21:55:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-07T21:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1382108"},"modified":"2022-03-07T21:55:54","modified_gmt":"2022-03-07T21:55:54","slug":"scientists-think-quantum-tunneling-in-space-led-to-life-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=10499","title":{"rendered":"Scientists think quantum tunneling in space led to life on Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A team of scientists recently published a paper indicating that life on Earth is the result of what can only accurately be described as cosmic teleportation<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Humankind has long sought to penetrate the mystery of how life came to exist on our planet. But what if the only reason we\u2019re here right now is because the universe cheats?<\/p>\n

If we trace the origin of life back to the dawn of biology on Earth, we find ourselves rewinding to the primordial soup from which our first ancestors rose.<\/p>\n

However, the basic building blocks of life had to be present before anything could ooze its way out of the soup and into the future. So the question is: how did amino acids end up on Earth?<\/p>\n

According to the research team, which included scientists from the Max Planck Institute and Friedrich Schiller University Jena, our origin story actually began in space.<\/p>\n

Per the team\u2019s research paper<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Here we prove experimentally that the condensation of carbon atoms on the surface of cold solid particles (cosmic dust) leads to the formation of isomeric polyglycine monomers (aminoketene molecules).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In other words: the researchers experimentally formed complex amino acids in a space-like environment. This is significant because it\u2019s long been believed that life was only able to form on the Earth because of its proximity to the sun.<\/p>\n

This new research doesn\u2019t necessarily change that. It\u2019s clear life thrives on our planet due to its unique amenities. But if the basic building blocks of life, amino acids, can form into complex chains in the void of space, it\u2019s possible the universe is practically teeming with the potential for life.<\/p>\n

However, getting those building blocks to form in cold temperatures is no easy feat. First, you have to push the boundaries of chemistry by designing amino acids that can form in a waterless paradigm. Then you have to leave the laws of physics<\/a> behind to overcome what\u2019s essentially an insurmountable barrier.<\/p>\n

The gist of the problem is that molecules have greater thermal energy at higher temperatures. That\u2019s why combustion engines work.<\/p>\n

Here on Earth, it\u2019s warm enough for atoms to use thermal energy to overcome the energy barriers to their formation into amino acids.<\/p>\n

But out there in space? It\u2019s cold and molecules are lazy. They don\u2019t have enough energy to climb over the energy barrier.<\/p>\n

In order to overcome this, the researchers simply relied on the universe\u2019s natural penchant for cheating.<\/p>\n

Instead of giving the atoms more energy, the universe teleports them past the barrier and pretends like it never happened. This is a wacky quantum process called \u201ctunneling.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Chemistry World\u2019s Katrina Kramer explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Tunnelling is actually a terrible word to use because the term conjures up images of a particle boring its way through a wall. But there is no hole, tunnel or any other type of opening involved.<\/p>\n

Instead, we need to use the same currency the field of quantum mechanics deals in: probability. A particle can be described as an oscillating wave, its amplitude representing the probability of finding it in a certain place. When encountering a barrier, this wave doesn\u2019t end abruptly. Instead, it continues inside and on the far side of the barrier, albeit with a smaller amplitude.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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<\/i><\/a>A particle\u2019s wave-like behavior doesn\u2019t stop just because something\u2019s in the way. Even though it doesn\u2019t have enough energy to overcome the barrier, probability says the wave can be on either side.<\/figcaption>