Cosmic ray-driven bioenergetics for Life in Molecular Clouds

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel bioenergetic mechanism driven by cosmic ray ionization in molecular clouds, suggesting a possible origin of life and chemiosmosis in extraterrestrial environments.

Contribution

It introduces a new bioenergetic process powered by cosmic rays and links it to the origin of chemiosmosis and early life in molecular clouds.

Findings

Cosmic ray ionization can drive bioenergetics in molecular clouds.

Hydrogen molecules may serve as electron donors for early life.

The Last Universal Common Ancestor may have utilized cosmic ray-driven processes.

Abstract

According to models such as panspermia or the Nebula-Relay hypothesis, the ancestors of life on Earth once lived in molecular clouds. Then what are the energy source and bioenergetics for such lifeforms? In this paper, we propose a new bioenergetic mechanism powered by cosmic ray ionization of hydrogen molecules and we argue that it may relate to or be the origin of chemiosmosis. Based on this mechanism, we suggest that the Last Universal Common Ancestor is a type of lifeform that utilize hydrogen molecules as donors of electron transport chains.