SPECULATION ABOUT THE origin of Earth and Moon via the impact with a rogue planetoid, which occurred prior to the emergence of life, is probably the most fascinating story in all of science, these days.
The American Museum of Natural History describes it this way: The Moon’s Origin.
Estimates are that the impact occurred 4.5 billion years ago (bya). Life emerged 3.7 bya. Earth’s gestation period was, therefore, roughly 800 million years, when life was finding itself and forming, but not yet “born.”
According to scientific speculation, it is safe to assume that Earth was fertilized by an object that was heaven-sent.
Life is thought to have originated as single-celled prokaryotes.
Reproduction for them was asexual — and still is for prokaryotes living today.
Prokaryote joke: “Who’s your mamma..?”
IF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY is actually as interested in “gaining a better understanding of the origins of life,” they could start with a prokaryote. Isolate one and freeze it in some way that does not disrupt the tissue but does stop biological functions, effectively killing it.
After a period of suspended death, try to recover the life that was pushed out.
Lessons might be learned that could be applied to more complex beings, like plants, maybe.
(Humans sent across the solar system in search of life on Mars will likely find their own deaths, instead, I’m afraid.)
The trick to restoring life to a prokaryote, no doubt, will be in finding something that WANTS to be a prokaryote.
Maybe the life doesn’t want to be a prokaryote anymore.
Hm.
Thwarticus 