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Group admin:: Fromz
Created:: November 25, 2007
: 322 Members

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science, astronomy, cryptozoology, zend, scientific

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India's Red Rain, Panspermia, and Aliens

Posted: Jul 27, 08 7:28am

For several months in 2001 a red rain fell in parts of India. A study of the materials found

Under optical microscope they appear like biological cells and the Transmission Electron Microscopy further shows a clear cell structure. Their organic nature is indicated by the major presence of carbon and oxygen. But despite these biological indications the cells do not show the presence of DNA. The genetic molecule DNA is present in all living organisms found on Earth. So the absence of DNA argues against the biological nature of these red rain cells.

http://education.vsnl.com/godfrey/

(Pictures of "cells" here: http://astrobiology.cf.ac.uk/redrain.html )

Now there is a new study suggesting historical precedents for red rains.

http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/080122_red-rain.htm

(Sorry, I can't access the publication.)

Tags:

red rain, panspermia

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4 Comments // 4 Members

BellaG

Posted: Jul 27, 08 7:37am

That's fascinating, Fromz. It is the first I have heard of this.

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Fromz

Posted: Jul 27, 08 7:43am

I don;t think it is widely known. The rain fell in 01, the paper was published in 03, and, despite the author's credentials, was more or less ignored.

I hope this new historical study brings it back to the news. I have a gut feeling cell-like structures deserve more investigation than "Oh, they don't have DNA."

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Jon Deisher

Posted: Jul 27, 08 11:05am

I have often thought that the conditions that prompted the earliest bio-chemical processes of replicating cells that eventually evolved into DNA based cells could still exist and generate new "self-replicators." Carbon and oxygen would seem necessary but not sufficient components. Due to the aggressive nature of DNA driven life, such self-replicating chemical bonds may not endure long.

One theory for the origins of a large percentage of the vast quantities of water on earth is from icy meteors or other objects colliding with earth over billions of years. Ice is known to be a common component of many meteors and comets. That they would contain quantities of other elements is reasonable ... oxygen and carbon among them.

Dr. Louis did not say that the "cells" were self-replicating, only that they lacked DNA. Why the term "cells" is used rather than, say, "particles" may suggest more is known about them than presented, or the term was simply convenient. The term "cell" is suggestive, however. He also said that further research and another paper would be forthcoming.

I, too, had not heard of the red-rains of India. Why such rains would be confined to India, or perhaps only be reported there, seems curious. If the source is from an Icy object that decomposed while entering the earth's atmosphere, vaporizing before impact, it would seem the distribution would be very broad and not so geographically focused. It sounds like more will be revealed on this one.

Thanks, Fromz.

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DutchTreat

Posted: Aug 8, 08 4:12pm

I had heard of this before. The part about being confined to India -- particularly if this has happened before in that country -- suggests a terrestrial point source upwind of there.

Dutch

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