Evidence suggests life on Earth could have started on Mars:

There is a theory that"s gaining a bit of traction in the scientific community, a theory which suggests that life on Earth could have come from Mars. Evidence in favor of this theory has been building over the last couple of decades, which and it indicates that we all (could be) Martians.

The theory basically asserts that, some 4-billion years ago, life started on Mars. Then a meteor then struck the planet, sending little chunks of Martian rocks (containing Martian life) into interplanetary space. One or more of these rocks then fell to Earth, seeding life on the planet and BOOM, here you are.

Learn all about this theory, and the evidence that supports it, at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/evidence-suggests-life-on-earth-could-have-started-on-mars/

Image:
NASA

Understanding Evolution: What is Natural Selection?

“When it was introduced in the 1940s, penicillin was a miracle drug, especially effective at curing infections caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus ("staph"). In 1941, the drug could wipe out every strain of staph in the world. Now, seventy years later, more than 95% of staph strains are resistant to penicillin.” — Dr. Jerry Coyne, "Why Evolution is True"

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In "Why Evolution is True", Dr. Coyne used this example in the chapter entitled, “The Engine of Evolution.” The engine he’s referring to is none other than natural selection, and this little insight regarding the adaptability (evolution) of Staphylococcus aureus is excellent evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection. It’s my go-to “proof,” if you will, when someone asks me to provide proof of evolution because (a) it’s simple and easy to understand, (b) it definitively shows that an organism can adapt to a new environment (in this case, a human body injected with penicillin), (c) it doesn’t require any discourse regarding fossils or the fossil record (which is probably the best evidence for evolution, but it’s very difficult to explain fossil evidence to someone who wants to “see” evolution if you don’t have fossils on hand!), and (d) bacteria are excellent for ‘showing’ evolution in action because they reproduce quickly, meaning that they can potentially evolve much faster than, say, a dog or a dolphin.

Learn all about natural selection at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/understanding-evolution-what-is-natural-selection/

Image:
NASA

Lake Vostok: Life in one of the most Inhospitable Places on Earth:

Located on the seemingly inhospitable continent of Antarctica (a place with the lowest recorded temperature on the Earth at -89 degrees Celsius), lies a subglacial lake that is 160 miles wide and 30 miles across. This lake has been dubbed Lake Vostok. It is believed that the lake formed some 20 million years ago. Isolated from the rest of the world for at LEAST 100 000 years, Lake Vostok was one of the last untouched places on this globe.

The lake presents itself as an analog for the study of both extremophilic microbial life (and possibly larger organisms) and evolutionary isolation. This inhospitable environment parallels some environments that we think might exist elsewhere in the solar system – either in the subsurface of Mars or on icy moons like Enceladus or even Europa. Ultimately, the search for life on other planets could start here on Earth at Lake Vostok.

Find out how here: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/lake-vostok-life-in-one-of-the-most-inhospitable-places-on-earth/

Image Credit: Nicolle Rager-Fuller / NSF

TW Hydrae: The Planet That Shouldn"t Exist

In a physical world that contains phenomena such as pulsars, neutron stars, and black holes, one would think that we have a pretty good grasp on the basics--how our universe evolves and functions; however, you might be surprised to know that some of the basics are actually difficult to discern. One of those problematic areas is planetary formation. That"s right.. .we really have a somewhat-amateur understanding of how planets form, despite actually living (and evolving) on one.

Our current models say that our solar system, and other planetary systems circling other stars, form from a protoplanetary accretion disk encircling a young star. This elliptical disk of material is typically comprised of gas, ice, rock, and grain. These build up slowly before ultimately coalescing into a planet, shaped by gravity. This process is thought to take tens of millions of years to occur from start to finish, and of course the amount of material concentrated around the protoplanetary disk dictates the number of planets a star has (and their size), which means that the planets should all form during a similar time-frame and there should also come a period when planetary formation is no longer possible.

However, we may have to rethink this theory. Find out why at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/tw-hydrae-the-planet-that-shouldnt-exist/

Image:
NASA

The Search for a Habitable Planet: Gliese 667Cc

As far as extra-solar planet hunting goes, we"ve found quite a few of them. Most, however, haven"t been remotely discussed as being potential candidates to host life as we know it. In fact, hardly any have been discovered inside the Goldilocks region of their star (the area where liquid water could theoretically exist). However, scientists know of one planet that could potentially host life. It has been dubbed the "holy grail" of extrasolar planets, and it"s only 22 light-years away!

To learn about this amazing planet, see:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/12358/

Image:
Arecibo

Common Misunderstandings of Evolution: Part 2

But isn’t evolution just a theory? How could such amazingly complex systems arise by evolution—by mere chance? Doesn"t evolution violate the second law of thermodynamics?

These are just a few of the questions that are frequently asked about evolution. To get answers to these questions, and develop a better understanding of evolution, see:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/common-misunderstandings-of-evolution-part-2/

Image source:
http://wallpapersus.com/wallpapers/2012/11/Star-Wars-Evolution-Evolution-Funny-900x1600.jpg