Metal ball containing bio matter could be alien ‘seed,’ say British scientists

[Pimander]

Looks like the molecular biologists in the UK have got there.

A TEAM of British scientists is convinced it has found proof of alien life, after it harvested strange organisms from the edge of space.

The scientists came to the startling conclusion after a balloon sent 27 kilometres into the stratosphere came back carrying small biological organisms believed to have originated from space.

Professor Milton Wainwright, of the University of Sheffield's Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, says he is "95 per cent convinced" the organisms do not originate from Earth.

"By all known information that science has, we know that they must be coming in from space," he said. "There is no known mechanism by which these life forms can achieve that height. As far as we can tell from known physics, they must be incoming.

"If life does continue to arrive from space then we have to completely change our view of biology and evolution. New textbooks will have to be written!

http://www.couriermail.com.au/technology/sci-tech/british-scientists-claim-to-have-found-proof-of-alien-life/story-fniho479-1226723186041

[astr0144]

Big WOW if this proves correct...

It may be a surprise if it is disclosed ...and doubted by some that they would do so..

Did Zorgon not show a video of certain life form anomaly  that he claimed were floating above the Earths atmosphere...

[Elvis Hendrix]

Cool baby critters acknowleged at last!!

does it look familiar.

[starwarp2000]

LOL! I saw this on TV. Funny how a draw carried aloft by a balloon, (Where the draw was opened) contained a sample of what is 'supposedly' life floating around our upper atmosphere.
The question, "How could life get up to that height"? is easily explained.
You put it up there!
The outside of the drawer was contaminated (Can't prevent that because it's in the environment), and when it opens in 'space' the contaminant falls inside and get's brought back. Not everyone is convinced, just the 'Knee jerk' Scientists whoring for another grant.
I wonder if these are the same scientists who dodgied the 'Climate-Gate' Results 

[1Worldwatcher]

WOW Pim !! You are really on your "Create a Post" game for sure!! LOL

This is fascinating, and it would require a bit more research, but for the most part, I know Zorgon is a grinning if he is reading this!! LOL

"If life does continue to arrive from space then we have to completely change our view of biology and evolution. New textbooks will have to be written!"

That quote alone is worth it's weight in gold, we have figured we as a species, and with all of our current accepted ideologies, terminologies and accepted status Quo educational training facilitated belief systems must be rewritten, for if this turn's out to be the true case, we, as a thinking species really have only been 'Assuming' and it seems too be much more than we have thought when it comes to the existance of alien life we are yet unaware of with in our planet's midst.

Great story, I am going to forward this to American Road Warrior, he is a great guy, but he is too hard on the 'Critter's' crowd for the possibility of what this all means. He will be a bit PO'ed at me, but, maybe, just maybe, he can see it for what all this is possibly worth for the benefit of mankind.  LOL

1WW

[starwarp2000]

They have it all wrong! It wasn't contamination by Earthly Bacteria that created the knee-jerk reaction it was farts!

http://www.couriermail.com.au/technology/farts-will-lead-us-to-alien-life-european-scientists-suggest/story-fnihnziy-1226718392662

I wonder if n the future they will be prosecuted for criminal negligence??

[Ellirium113]

Still could have been terrestrial in origion, how much stuff went up there and contacted the upper atmosphere...

Seventy-six types of unregulated micro-organisms have been detected on the International Space Station (ISS). Though many are harmless, some are already capable of causing severe damage. And no one knows how they will mutate in space.

­"We had these problems on the old MIR space station, now we have them on the ISS. The microflora is attacking the station. These organisms corrode metals and polymers and can cause equipment to fail," Anatoly Grigoryev, the vice-president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Interfax news agency.

Despite extensive precautions, most of the microbes are accidentally brought to the space station with various cargoes.

One of the early Russian crews also carelessly released a fungus that was later allowed to spread.

Of particular concern is the Zarya – the first ISS module launched into space in 1998.

But the crew is also in potential peril.

"Uncontrolled multiplication of bacteria can cause infectious diseases among the crew," said Grigoryev.

­

Surprisingly common problem

As stations grow older, microbe contaminations get worse.

On the predecessor of the ISS, the Russian MIR (Peace), there were 90 different micro-organisms in 1990, four years after its launch. By the time it was decommissioned in 2001, the number had risen to 140.

In the relatively sterile and temperature-controlled environs of the station, bacteria were allowed to spread easily.

Micro-organisms also evolved and became highly aggressive. Cosmonauts reported corroded illuminator glass, holes in the metallic casing of the control panel, and exposed leads, the insulation of which had been eaten away.

The ISS is expected to be in operation at least until 2020.

Russian scientists also believe that particularly resilient bacteria can survive for years in extreme conditions on the outside of the station, as several experiments have proved.

Whether their mutations could be dangerous if these are allowed to escape is not clear.

Currently, Russian cosmonauts are wiping down surfaces in their modules with anti-bacterial liquids, but it is not possible to reach all contaminated areas by hand. Russian scientists are planning to deliver a powerful anti-bacterial UV lamp in one of the next shipments to combat the growing problem.

http://rt.com/news/iss-bacteria-mir-mutation-765/

If these bacteria are release in space and are floating around up there who knows how far they have mutated now?

[astr0144]

This is Space.coms comments on the subject..

I thought that I caught a glimpse on TV suggesting that the Alien organisms in the Earths atmosphere were from Mars...


New Alien Life Claim Far from Convincing, Scientists Say.

A new study that claims to present evidence of alien life is being met with a healthy dose of skepticism in the scientific community.

On July 31, a team of British researchers sent a balloon into the stratosphere over England, where it collected samples at an altitude range of 14 miles to 17 miles (22 to 27 kilometers). The balloon's scientific payload returned to Earth toting the cell wall, or frustule, of a type of microscopic algae called a diatom, the scientists report in the Journal of Cosmology.

While bacteria and other tiny lifeforms have been found high above the planet before — storm clouds are teeming with microbes, for example — the new discovery is potentially of monumental importance, study team members say. [5 Bold Claims of Alien Life ]

"Most people will assume that these biological particles must have just drifted up to the stratosphere from Earth, but it is generally accepted that a particle of the size found cannot be lifted from Earth to heights of, for example, 27 km. The only known exception is by a violent volcanic eruption, none of which occurred within three years of the sampling trip," lead author Milton Wainwright, of the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, said in a statement Thursday (Sept. 19).

"In the absence of a mechanism by which large particles like these can be transported to the stratosphere, we can only conclude that the biological entities originated from space," Wainwright added. "Our conclusion then is that life is continually arriving to Earth from space, life is not restricted to this planet and it almost certainly did not originate here."

The diatom fragment may have been delivered to Earth by a comet, Wainwright and his colleagues write in the paper, which can be read here at the Journal of Cosmology.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence

The idea that life is widespread throughout the universe and has been transported to many worlds by objects such as comets — a notion known as panspermia — is credible, at least over relatively short cosmic distances, said astronomer Seth Shostak of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in Mountain View, Calif.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean the new study will stand up to the intense scientific scrutiny it's likely to receive, he said.

"In the past, most members of the astrobiology community have found it easier to ascribe these claims to terrestrial contamination than to extraterrestrial hitchhikers," Shostak told SPACE.com via email. "It remains to be seen whether that opinion will be changed by these new results." [10 Alien Encounters Debunked]

Indeed, other scientists said they would like to see more convincing evidence of a cosmic origin for the organism snagged by the balloon.

"There is probably truth to the report that they find curious stuff in the atmosphere," Chris McKay, an astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., told SPACE.com via email. "The jump to the conclusion that it is alien life is a big jump and would require quite extraordinary proof. (The usual Sagan saying: extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)"

McKay gave an example of what might constitute such extraordinary evidence.

"If they were able to show that it was composed of all D amino acids (proteins in Earth life are made of L amino acids), that would be pretty convincing to me," he said. "So some sort of biochemical indication that it does not share Earth biochemistry. If it does indeed share Earth biochemistry, proving that it is of alien origin is probably impossible."

Further study needed

Wainwright and his team plan to study their stratospheric samples further in an attempt to find a smoking gun for an off-Earth origin. For example, the researchers will analyze the ratios of various isotopes, which are varieties of an element that have different numbers of neutrons in their atomic nuclei.

"If the ratio of certain isotopes gives one number, then our organisms are from Earth; if it gives another, then they are from space," Wainwright said.

However, astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University thinks the study team should have performed such follow-up analyses, and consulted diatom experts, before publishing its provocative claim.

"Perhaps the fragment came actually from the stratosphere and is not contamination, but basing this conclusion only on one particle and very limited analysis seems quite odd to me and inferring an extraterrestrial origin completely off-base," Schulze-Makuch told SPACE.com via email.

http://news.yahoo.com/alien-life-claim-far-convincing-scientists-163757104.html

[Pimander]

Still could have been terrestrial in origion, how much stuff went up there and contacted the upper atmosphere...

The original full report, written by credible academics, can be read here. http://journalofcosmology.com/JOC22/milton_diatom.pdf

The scientists did guard against contamination and also did a control flight.  There was nothing on the electron microscope stubs that made the control flight so it appears likely that the particle did come from the stratosphere and was not "terrestrial".

Control flight: A separate control flight was made to the stratosphere prior to the sampling flight, when the draw was not opened, but all other sampling procedures were observed. No particulate
matter was found (using the SEM) on any of the unexposed microscope studs, showing that the draw
remained airtight and that none of the stubs was exposed to particles at, or near, ground-level or at any
height up to the stratosphere. These results also show convincingly that no particles contaminated the
stubs during any of the sample processing procedures, thereby demonstrating that the scrupulous
procedures used to prevent ground level contamination proved effective and that no such
contamination occurred.

http://journalofcosmology.com/JOC22/milton_diatom.pdf

[RUSSO]

Interesting article about what seems to (may)be signs of directed panspermia:

Space invaders? Metal ball containing bio matter could be alien 'seed,' say British scientists



Mysterious metal ball. Credit: University of Buckingham

A newly discovered microscopic ball could have been sent to earth by an alien civilization in an attempt to start new life, a British scientist has claimed.

The mysterious metal sphere has been photographed spewing out a biological substance, which scientists believe could be genetic material.

It was discovered by a team of researchers at the University of Sheffield and the University of Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology.

While several theories on the tiny ball's origins have been volunteered, the most intriguing sound like pure science fiction.

They include the idea it was sent here by aliens with the intention of propagating life on earth, a scientific theory known as "directed panspermia."

Notable scientists to advocate this idea include astrophysicist Carl Sagan and Nobel laureate Francis Crick, who co-discovered the structure of DNA.

Professor Milton Wainwright, who led the team, described the orb as "a ball about the width of a human hair, which has filamentous life on the outside and a gooey biological material oozing from its center."

Speaking to the Daily Express, Wainwright said: "We were stunned when X-ray analysis showed that the sphere is made up mainly of titanium, with a trace of vanadium."

"One theory is it was sent to earth by some unknown civilization in order to continue seeding the planet with life."[/color]

"Unless of course we can find details of the civilization that is supposed to have sent it in this respect it is probably an unprovable theory," he added.

And...

"On hitting the stratosphere sampler the sphere made an impact crater, a minute version of the huge impact crater on earth caused by the asteroid said to have killed off the dinosaurs."

"This impact crater proves that the sphere was incoming to earth from space, an organism coming from Earth would not be travelling fast enough when it fell back to earth to cause such damage."

"This seems never before to have been found on earth," Wainwright added.

Full article: http://rt.com/uk/233507-metal-ball-alien-seed/

[space otter]

very interesting.. maybe the passing space ships are shooting at our ballons..
or the small metal ball thought the balloon was a relative..

gotta go look for more info


this is from the link you posted.. cause I wondered where in the heck they found this ball


http://rt.com/uk/233507-metal-ball-alien-seed/


Scientists discovered the perplexing orb when they sent balloons 27 kilometers into the atmosphere to collect dust and particle matter from space.

He said the metal ball left a tiny impact when it struck the balloon.

................
  edit to add more...


Dr Wainwright and his team discovered the sphere when examining samples of dust and particulate matter collected by a balloon sent around 16 miles into the atmosphere.

Using X-ray analysis to examine the sphere, he concluded that it was made from titanium and traces of vanadium, while the material appearing to come out of the side was biological.

They found that it also had a 'fungus-like knitted mat-like covering'.


Dr Wainwright and his colleagues have published their findings in the Journal of Cosmology but their conclusions have yet to be corroborated by other scientists.

The journal often publishes papers on astrobiology but is highly controversial among scientists as it has been criticised for its peer review process and for publishing papers of a fringe variety.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  crap


Two years ago it controversially published a paper that claimed to have identified fossils of microbiotic life in a meteorite, sparking a blaze of publicity, but was also met with a great deal of skepticism.

In the past Professor Wainwright and his team claimed to have found fragments of single celled algae called diatoms in samples taken from the stratosphere.

The idea that life can survive high the Earth's atmosphere, however, is not new. Scientists working with Nasa recently discovered bacteria living up to five miles above the Earth's surface.

However, most scientists believe they are likely to have been carried up from Earth rather than having an extraterrestrial origin.
..

Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, an astrobiologist at the University of Buckinghamshire and editor of the Journal of Cosmology who also worked with Dr Wainwright on the study, added: 'I think more work needs to be done on this particular structure, for example to study its DNA, if it has any.

'But already there is clear proof from many directions to confirm that we are constantly bombarded by fragments of comets that carry living microorganisms.'

However, Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual, said the idea that such material were being sent out by aliens attempting to seed other planets was a 'leap of the imagination'.

He said: 'This would seem to provide proof that outer space and not just the surface of our planet is teaming with life.

'I'm sceptical about this and we would need to collect more samples like this to have a better idea of where it originates from.

'It is a leap of the imagination that it came from an ET race trying to seed our planet with their biological constructs.

HEY Z>> THEY HAVE HEARD OF YOUR CRITTERS
Perhaps there are luminous or 'invisible' jelly-fish like creatures that inhabit our skies, or microorganisms flooding our planet, I'm not convinced, but they are fascinating ideas that make a change from stories of starships loaded with aliens.'

Read more: journalofcosmolo...
can't read more.. I am forbidden...sigh..just when it was getting interesting 





Thanks Russo for this   

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2955620/Did-aliens-send-metal-orb-seed-life-Earth-Microscopic-sphere-contain-microorganisms-claims-astrobiologist.html#ixzz3SCsyeOYI
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[zorgon]

Yeah saw this one go by on Facebook and forgot to post it  Thanks Russo

[zorgon]

Seems "Critters' are getting more and more main stream interest. They DO better fit a lot of paranormal and UFO events than spaceships from Venus.

We need to catch one if that is possible  Maybe we need the Ghostbuster's gear. afterall ghosts are exoplasma (ectoplasm)

[zorgon]

this is from the link you posted.. cause I wondered where in the heck they found this ball

Scientists discovered the perplexing orb when they sent balloons 27 kilometers into the atmosphere to collect dust and particle matter from space.
He said the metal ball left a tiny impact when it struck the balloon.

That was my first question too

he concluded that it was made from titanium and traces of vanadium, while the material appearing to come out of the side was biological.

This was the other point  Titanium is an almost impossible metal to work with... you need a plasma torch just to cut the sheets.  Titanium metal is not found naturally on Earth so far as we have seen and even on the moon so far its only as titanium oxide. We now make small surgical implements out of titanium because it is inert in the human body and tough enough to last a lifetime. The two most useful properties of the metal are corrosion resistance and the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metallic element. In its unalloyed condition, titanium is as strong as some steels, but less dense

  So finding tiny spheres of titanium from space alone is noteworthy to the nth degree  but oosing bio material? Dang  Hope they can verify this one. Having only a single microscopic sample is going to be a problem

[zorgon]

However, Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual, said the idea that such material were being sent out by aliens attempting to seed other planets was a 'leap of the imagination'.

This is another talking head And he writes UFO manuals? Seriously?

'It is a leap of the imagination that it came from an ET race trying to seed our planet with their biological constructs.

Considering the size it is more likely stuff was just dispersed at random into the universe   But we need to watch for followups  We should see if we can write the scientists involved. It is more likely to get diirect updates and copies of papers for free that way