Deep in space, far from the inquiring eyes of NASA scientists, perhaps millions of years ago, two asteroids collided with one another. The resulting hot explosion reached upwards of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and should have destroyed all of the amino acids within. They did not. When the asteroid then hurtled to Earth, the resulting meteorite was discovered and sent to be analyzed. When scientists discovered the amino acids within, they were astonished. The find is even further evidence that life exists in the universe around us and with the potential that life could exist with some abundance in space.
The meteorite, which fell to Earth in the Sudan, suggests that amino acids can be created in more than one way. When scientists look for life in space, one of the key ingredients suggesting life are these very amino acids. In this way, it is suggested that life could come about in more ways than was originally thought. If such an asteroid were to fall to a planet, the amino acids within would certainly serve to be some of the key components in what would eventually become life as we know it. Additionally, liquid water and the right environmental influences are suggested to contribute to this life.
So yet again, as we look into the stars we see that ours is not the only planet that may contain the often sought after life. We may not be alone in the universe after all. And several other scientific discoveries over the past few years has suggested just that. It seems that each new discovery brings us closer to a fully fleshed out theory that life may exist at least in its simplest form elsewhere in the universe. And if it exists in its simplest form elsewhere in the universe, how can we truly think that humans are the most advanced or sentient form of life anywhere in the vast multitude between the stars? The hubris suggesting that mankind is truly unique and alone in the universe is coming ever closer to being toppled and replaced by the wonder and excitement of possibility as we discover that other stars may be orbited by planets quite different from Earth and yet contain life just as intelligent and sentient as our own.
Such a discovery as life in even a microbial form would not only change our understanding of life in the universe, but herald in a new age of discovery as we search for life through every means dispensed to mankind. And it may go some way toward suggesting the scenario that mankind may have been visited by creatures from another planet indeed visited Earth or are still visiting Earth to this day is perfectly valid. Could the discovery of life elsewhere in the universe entering the scientific mainstream truly be the lynch pin that allows us to open ourselves up to a greater universal consciousness? And if we did discover something that actually contained life, would we be able to handle the philosophical repercussions? The answer may come to us quite soon.