This week there were two remarkable discoveries reported that further establish the prescience of Vernadsky's pioneering concept of the evolution of the biosphere. Coincidentally, March 12th was his 150th birthday.
The astounding first discovery of hydrogen oxidizing microorganisms deep beneath the oceanic crust extends the principle of biospheric evolution beyond solar energetic biochemistry to lithospheric chemosynthetic life.
The second discovery furthers our understanding of circadian clock control of chloroplasts at the site of photosynthesis in plants.
The question for astrobiology is whether this circadian mechanism is necessary for life and if so can it be transmuted to other perhaps habitable exoplanets. The recent discovery of deeply buried hydrogen based life forms under the oceanic crust might exhibit an alternative biological geochemical timing mechanism. Leibniz' qualification of necessary and sufficient reason for ontological proof of potential living evolution seems perfectly applicable in this context.
Eratosthenes first measured the circumference of the earth from the shadows cast by the sun. Today, humanity's fitness to survive will be measured by our ability to conquer that same thermonuclear fusion that casts those shadows. Thus, Prometheus will truly be unbound.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
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