Natural Transfer of Viable Microbes in Space from Planets in the Extra-Solar Systems to a Planet in our Solar System and Vice-Versa

TL;DR

This paper assesses the likelihood of microbes naturally transferring between solar systems via space ejecta, concluding such events are improbable unless originating from a common star cluster, and highlights future observational opportunities.

Contribution

It provides a probabilistic analysis of interstellar microbial transfer, considering planetary ejecta, survival times, and star cluster origins, offering new insights into panspermia plausibility.

Findings

Transfer from other systems before Earth's life is unlikely

Star cluster formation increases transfer probability

Future missions could detect signs of interstellar life transfer

Abstract

We investigate whether it is possible that viable microbes could have been transported to Earth from the planets in extra-solar systems by means of natural vehicles such as ejecta expelled by comet or asteroid impacts on such planets. The probabilities of close encounters with other solar systems are taken into account as well as the limitations of bacterial survival times inside ejecta in space, caused by radiation and DNA decay. The conclusion is that no potentially DNA/RNA life-carrying ejecta from another solar system in the general Galactic star field landed on Earth before life already existed on Earth, not even if microbial survival time in space is as long as tens of millions of years. However, if the Sun formed initially as a part of a star cluster, as is commonly assumed, we cannot rule out the possibility of transfer of life from one of the sister systems to us. Likewise, there is a possibility that some extra-solar planets carry life that originated in our solar system. It will be of great interest to identify the members of the Sun's birth cluster of stars and study them for evidence for planets and life on the planets. The former step may be accomplished by the GAIA mission, the latter step by the SIM and DARWIN missions. Therefore it may not be too long until we have experimental knowledge on the question whether the natural transfer of life from one solar system to another has actually taken place.