Red rain in Kerala: Difference between revisions
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==Proto-Domain== |
==Proto-Domain== |
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Proto-Domain organisms are a hypothesized microorganisms acknowledged by some proponents of [[Panspermia]], including Godfrey et al.<ref> http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf </ref><ref>http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/evolution/mg18925411.100</ref> It is thought these organisms share many of the same abilities as terrestrial life on [[Earth]]: [[metabolism]], [[homeostasis]], [[organization]], [[metabolism]], [[growth]], [[adaptation]], [[reproduction]], and response to |
Proto-Domain organisms are a hypothesized microorganisms acknowledged by some proponents of [[Panspermia]], including Godfrey et al.<ref> http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf </ref><ref>http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/evolution/mg18925411.100</ref> It is thought these organisms share many of the same abilities as terrestrial life on [[Earth]]: [[metabolism]], [[homeostasis]], [[organization]], [[metabolism]], [[growth]], [[adaptation]], [[reproduction]], and response to stimuli; however, unlike all life thus far discovered on earth, Proto-Domain organisms appear to lack [[DNA]] as their informational [[macromolecule]].<ref> http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf </ref><ref>http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/060104_specksfrm1.htm</ref><ref>http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1723913,00.html</ref> |
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[[Image:FUtree.jpg|left|thumbnail|250px|The newly hypothesized [[tree of life]].]] |
[[Image:FUtree.jpg|left|thumbnail|250px|The newly hypothesized [[tree of life]].]] |
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''Purported Life Cycle'' |
''Purported Life Cycle'' |
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The reproduction process of these microorganisms, produced by Godfrey et al., were initially unknown due to the difficulty of making direct observation at high temperatures and pressure, but by correlating a large number of observations of cells after their growth at 300°C, the following life cycles were identified.<ref> http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf </ref> The findings were possible since some reproduction process was also found to take place at room temperature after their growth at 300°C. The cells reproduce by a special process of multiple [[fission]], and three modes of life cycles (two for reproduction, one for [[spore]] formation) have been observed. The daughter cells start their life as tiny cells of about 1 [[micrometer|µm]] in size. |
The reproduction process of these microorganisms, produced by Godfrey et al., were initially unknown due to the difficulty of making direct observation at high temperatures and pressure, but by correlating a large number of observations of cells after their growth at 300°C, the following life cycles were identified.<ref> http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf </ref> The findings were possible since some reproduction process was also found to take place at room temperature after their growth at 300°C. The cells reproduce by a special process of multiple [[fission]], and three modes of life cycles (two for reproduction, one for [[spore]] formation) have been observed. The daughter cells start their life as tiny cells of about 1 [[micrometer|µm]] in size. |
||
Cycle A: This is the fastest reproduction process of these microbes and is believed to be the major mechanism that operate at high temperatures. In this cycle, some of the daughter cells of size 1 micrometer grows to a size of about 4-6 µm (2nd stage) and then finally into a size of about 30-50 µm (3rd stage) and they attain a liquid bubble like structure. Several daughter cells are formed inside this liquid bubble and the bubble acts as a nursery of daughter cells. These daughter cells are finally released from the liquid bubble (4th Stage) leaving the used bubble in the [[growth medium]]. This way the accumulation of these microliquid drops increases in the growth medium and it acts as a protective biofilm for the colony in extreme conditions. |
Cycle A: This is the fastest reproduction process of these microbes and is believed to be the major mechanism that operate at high temperatures. In this cycle, some of the daughter cells of size 1 micrometer grows to a size of about 4-6 µm (2nd stage) and then finally into a size of about 30-50 µm (3rd stage) and they attain a liquid bubble like structure. Several daughter cells are formed inside this liquid bubble and the bubble acts as a nursery of daughter cells. These daughter cells are finally released from the liquid bubble (4th Stage) leaving the used bubble in the [[growth medium]]. This way the accumulation of these microliquid drops increases in the growth medium and it acts as a protective biofilm for the colony in extreme conditions. |
||
Revision as of 18:44, 27 July 2007
From 25 July to 23 September 2001, red rain sporadically descended upon the southern Indian state of Kerala. Heavy downpours occurred in which the rain was primarily red, staining clothes with an appearance similar to that of blood.[1] Yellow, green, and black rain was also reported.[2]
It was initially suspected that the rains were coloured by fallout from a hypothetical meteor burst, but the Government of India commissioned a study which found the rains had been coloured by spores from a locally prolific aerial algae.[3] Then in early 2006, the coloured rains of Kerala suddenly rose to worldwide attention after media reports of a conjecture that the coloured particles are extraterrestrial cells, proposed by Godfrey Louis and Santhosh Kumar of the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam.
The rain
The coloured rain of Kerala first fell on 25 July 2001, in the districts of Kottayam and Idukki in the southern part of the state. Some reports suggested that other colours of rain were also seen.[4] Many more occurrences of the red rain were reported over the following ten days, and then with diminishing frequency until late September.
According to locals, the first coloured rain was preceded by a loud thunderclap and flash of light, and followed by groves of trees shedding shrivelled grey "burnt" leaves. Shrivelled leaves and the disappearance and sudden formation of wells were also reported around the same time in the area.[5][6][7]
The colouration of the rain was due to red particles in suspension in the rain water, and when it fell, the red rain was at times as strongly coloured as blood. It typically fell over small areas, no more than a few square kilometres in size, and was sometimes so localised that normal rain could be falling just a few metres away from the red rain. Red rainfalls typically lasted less than 20 minutes.[8]
Official report
Shortly after the first fall of the red rain, it was reported in the media that scientists at the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) and the Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI) had determined that the particles colouring the rainwater were some type of spore.[9] Then in November of 2001, commissioned by the Government of India's Department of Science & Technology, the CESS and TBGRI released a report which concluded that Kerala's rains were coloured by algae spores, which were successfully grown in medium into lichen associated algæ of the Trentepohlia genus. This algae was found to be associated with lichens in the trees in Changanacherry area.[10]
The report also stated that there was no dust of meteoric, volcanic or desert origin present in the rainwater, and that the colour of the rainwater was not due to any dissolved gases or pollutants. The report suggested that heavy rains in Kerala in the weeks preceding the red rains could have caused the widespread growth of lichens, which had given rise to a large quantity of spores in the atmosphere. However, it found no definite mechanism for the apparent extraordinary dispersal of the suspect spores, nor for the uptake of the suspect spores into clouds.
The authors of the report analysed some sediment collected from the red rains, using a combination of ion-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrometry and wet chemical methods. The major elements found are listed below.
Major elements present in the dried sediment Element Template:Aluminium Template:Potassium Template:Magnesium Template:Calcium Template:Sodium Template:Iron Template:Silicon Template:Carbon Template:Phosphorus Weight % 1.00 0.26 1.48 2.52 0.49 0.61 7.50 51.00 0.08
The presence of aluminium and the very low content of phosphorus is puzzling because aluminium is not ordinarily found in living cells, while normally about 3% phosphorus can be expected in the dry weight of biological cells.[11]
Conventional theories
History records many instances of unusual objects falling with the rain — in 2000, in an example of raining animals, a small waterspout in the North Sea sucked up a school of fish a mile off shore, depositing them shortly afterwards on Great Yarmouth in the United Kingdom.[12] Coloured rain is by no means rare, and can often be explained by the transport of dust from desert regions in high pressure areas, where it mixes with water droplets. One such case occurred in England in 1903, when dust was carried from the Sahara and fell with rain in February of that year.
At first, the red rain in Kerala was attributed to the same effect, with dust from the deserts of Arabia initially the suspect. LIDAR observations had detected a cloud of dust in the atmosphere near Kerala in the days preceding the outbreak of the red rain [13]. However, this hypothesis could not explain certain aspects of the red rain, such as its sudden onset and gradual decline over two months, and its localisation to Kerala despite atmospheric conditions that should have seen it occur in neighbouring states as well.
Another theory is that the rain contained mammalian blood, a large flock of bats having been killed at high altitude, perhaps by a meteor. Some bat species in India live in very large communities. However, no bat wings or other remains were found raining from the sky, and no known natural process would separate the red blood cells from white cells, platelets and other blood components. Red blood cells disintegrate rapidly in regular rainwater because of osmosis, but this was not evident with the red particles.[14] Furthermore it would have had to be a sizeable quantity of bats to cover a province of India.[15]
More plausibly, the suggestion has been made that the red raindust was the result of incomplete incineration of chemical waste at the Eloor industrial zone, the particles being formed from microparticles of fly-ash or clay which coalesced around an aerosol of partly burnt organics as the incinerator plume cooled. The chemical composition of the raindust matches that of burnt organics plus clay; the fallout pattern matches with the prevailing winds; and it is hypothesized that these various organic chemicals will form cellular structures which replicate in the presence of clay.
Extraterrestrial hypothesis
Another hypothesis was proposed in 2003 by Godfrey Louis and A. Santhosh Kumar, two scientists at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, Kerala. Having collected samples of the rainwater at many locations, Louis and Kumar claimed that the red particles did not look like dust but instead appeared to be biological cells. Chemical analyses indicate that they consist of organic material, and so they proposed that the particles may be microbes of extraterrestrial origin.
Louis and Kumar's analysis found that the red particles were typically 4 to 10 µm across, spherical or oval in shape, and similar in appearance to unicellular organisms. On average, 1 millilitre of rain water was found to contain 9 million red particles, and the weight of particles in each liter of rainwater was about 100 milligrams. Extrapolating these figures to the total amount of red rain estimated to have fallen, Louis and Kumar calculated that a total weight of some 50,000 kilograms of red particles had fallen over Kerala.
Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis showed that the particles were composed of mostly carbon and oxygen, with trace amounts of silicon and iron (see table).
Elemental composition of red cells by EDAX analysis[8] Element Weight % Atomic % Standards Template:Carbon 49.53 57.83 CaCO3 Template:Oxygen 45.42 39.82 Quartz Template:Sodium 0.69 0.42 Albite Template:Aluminium 0.41 0.21 Al2O3 Template:Silicon 2.85 1.42 Quartz Template:Chlorine 0.12 0.05 KCl Template:Iron 0.97 0.24 Fe
A CHN analyzer showed 43.03% carbon, 4.43% hydrogen, and 1.84% nitrogen.
Louis and Kumar performed tests with ethidium bromide to see if any DNA or RNA was present in the red particles, but found none. Their results are published in the journal Astrophysics and Space Science.[8]
Further tests on the particles were carried out at Sheffield University by Milton Wainwright, who has studied stratospheric spores.[1][14] In March 2006 he said the particles were similar in appearance to spores of a rust fungus,[16] later saying that he had confirmed their similarity to spores or algae, and found no evidence to suggest that the rain contained dust, sand, fat globules or blood. He also said, “There appears to be an increasing tendency among scientists to come up with wild explanations when asked by the press to comment on unusual, novel phenomena. A good example is provided by comments about the recent Indian red rain phenomenon.”[17] A correction was printed in The Observer[18] regarding Dr. Wainwright's comment that the red rain lacked DNA. Dr. Wainwright asked in the correction to make clear that he currently had no view on whether the samples contained DNA and that it was physicist Godfrey Louis who is of that view. The contraversial reserach of Godfrey et al. is the only evidence suggesting that these organisms are of extraterrestrial organism.[19] Godfrey suggests these microbes could be a prehistoric domain of life, or a Proto-Domain.
A sample of the rain was also sent to Cardiff University for analysis by noted panspermia proponent Chandra Wickramasinghe. Wickramasinghe has reported on the 30th of March 2006 that “work in progress has yeilded [sic] positive for DNA”.[20]
Possible cometary origin
A few hours before the first occurrence of the red rain, a sonic boom was reported by residents of Changanasserry in Kottayam district, accompanied by a flash of light. Louis and Kumar suggest that this was caused by the disintegration of a small comet entering the Earth's atmosphere, and that this comet contained large quantities of the red particles. Observations show that 85% of the red rain fell within 10 days of 25 July, and Louis and Kumar suggest that this is consistent with the settling of red particles released into the upper atmosphere by a cometary break-up. Subsequent research by a different group of scientists concluded that the red particles were Trentepohlia algae spores, however this may simply be contamination from the lichens that grow abundantly in the region.[21]
Louis and Kumar further suggest that the particles are cells and thus represent evidence of extraterrestrial life. If the particles are biological in nature and did originate in a comet, it would be the first evidence in favour of the theory of panspermia, in which life on Earth is proposed to have been carried here from elsewhere in the universe. Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe have been among the proponents of the theory, but it has been dismissed by most mainstream scientists.
Proto-Domain
Proto-Domain organisms are a hypothesized microorganisms acknowledged by some proponents of Panspermia, including Godfrey et al.[22][23] It is thought these organisms share many of the same abilities as terrestrial life on Earth: metabolism, homeostasis, organization, metabolism, growth, adaptation, reproduction, and response to stimuli; however, unlike all life thus far discovered on earth, Proto-Domain organisms appear to lack DNA as their informational macromolecule.[24][25][26]
Purported Evidence The only evidence of these organisms came from studies of the Red Rain of Kerala.[27] Although some studies have claimed that the red rain was solely due to larges amounts of spores of a colored alga belonging to the genus Trentepohlia.[28] Proponents of Proto-Domain organisms argue the fact that these cells lack DNA as evidence that these spores could not have came form an algae; however, the existence of these organisms currently represent at best hypothesis and at worst wild speculation to mainstream science.[29][30][31] Critics argue that the lack of DNA is not full proof these organisms are prehistoric or extreterrestrial, noting, "further work in progress has yielded positive for DNA using [DAPI] staining in the cells and daughters."[32] This identification, however, is not yet fully confirmed, and might be considered equivocal.
Purported Life Cycle The reproduction process of these microorganisms, produced by Godfrey et al., were initially unknown due to the difficulty of making direct observation at high temperatures and pressure, but by correlating a large number of observations of cells after their growth at 300°C, the following life cycles were identified.[33] The findings were possible since some reproduction process was also found to take place at room temperature after their growth at 300°C. The cells reproduce by a special process of multiple fission, and three modes of life cycles (two for reproduction, one for spore formation) have been observed. The daughter cells start their life as tiny cells of about 1 µm in size.
Cycle A: This is the fastest reproduction process of these microbes and is believed to be the major mechanism that operate at high temperatures. In this cycle, some of the daughter cells of size 1 micrometer grows to a size of about 4-6 µm (2nd stage) and then finally into a size of about 30-50 µm (3rd stage) and they attain a liquid bubble like structure. Several daughter cells are formed inside this liquid bubble and the bubble acts as a nursery of daughter cells. These daughter cells are finally released from the liquid bubble (4th Stage) leaving the used bubble in the growth medium. This way the accumulation of these microliquid drops increases in the growth medium and it acts as a protective biofilm for the colony in extreme conditions.
Cycle B: This appears to be a slower process than cycle A and why some of the cells resort to this cycle is not clear. In this cycle some of the daughter cells grow to about 4 to 6 µm in size, and then transform into a bubble like structure of mucus liquid as in cycle A to a size of 30-50 µm. This liquid develops a shell of hardened material and its surface then becomes brownish yellow in color with a surface pattern some what similar to the dimple pattern of a golf ball (3rd stage of cycle B). This mother cell then has several daughter cells develop inside this. When the daughter cells become sufficiently matured they start consuming the outer shell and a weak spot or a protrusion develops in the mother cell. Through this protrusion daughter cells are released from the mother cell leaving the dimple patterned empty globes in the growth medium.
Cycle C: This is the spore forming life cycle of these microbes. Prolonged growth at high temperatures with lack of nutrients appear to be the reason for spore formation. in this cycle, some of the grown cells can be found to show a pair formation tendency (stage 3) as a first step towards formation of spores. Two or three or rarely more cells linger around each other closely for some time and they finally get fused together and form a common thing outer mucus layer around them (stage 4). Later this thing mucus becomes very thick and hard (stage 5) and the compound cell becomes a spore with color change from white to yellowish and finally red (stage 6). The res spore cells show different shapes like spherical, ellipsoidal, and slightly elongated shapes with septum like formation at the center. The elongated shapes are due to the fusion of two cells, while the triangular shapes are due to the fusion of three cells. The thick outer layer of the spores disintegrates and releases the enclosed original cells only when nutrients and growth conditions are persistently available. These spores can possibly remain dormant in comets and interstellar clouds for millions of years till they reach suitable environments like hot planetary bodies around newly born stars. Their thick outer layer is possibly a sufficient protection against UV and other radiation in space.
References
- ^ a b Gentleman, Amelia (2006). "Red rain could prove that aliens have landed". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved March 12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ JULY 28, 2001, The Hindu: Multicolour rain
- ^ Abstract of official report.
- ^ Ramakrishnan, Venkitesh (2001). "Coloured rain falls on Kerala". BBC. Retrieved March 6.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Radhakrishnan, M. G. (2001). "Scarlets Of Fire". India Today. Retrieved March 6.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Mystery of the scarlet rains and other tales — Times of India, 6 August 2001
- ^ Now wells form spontaneously in Kerala — Times of India, 5 August 2001 (from the Internet Archive)
- ^ a b c Louis G. & Kumar A.S. (2006). The red rain phenomenon of Kerala and its possible extraterrestrial origin. Astrophysics and Space Science. (full paper (PDF)) (at journal website)
- ^ Monday, August 6, 2001: ‘Red rain was fungus, not meteor’
- ^ Sampath S., Abraham T.K., Sasi Kumar V., Mohanan C.N. (2001), Coloured rain: a report on the phenomenon, Centre for Earth Science Studies
- ^ Todar, Kenneth (2005). "Procaryotes in the Environment". Todar's Online Textbook of Bacteriology. Retrieved June 2.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Lane, Megan (2000-08-07). "It's raining fish!". BBC. Retrieved 2006-03-06.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Satyanarayana M., Veerabuthiran S., Ramakrishna Rao D., Presennakumar B. (2004), Colored Rain on the West Coastal Region of India: Was it Due to a Dust Storm?, Aerosol Science and Technology, v.38, p.24–26
- ^ a b It's raining aliens — transcript of a New Scientist podcast - get podcast here
- ^ http://www.tos.org/oceanography/issues/issue_archive/issue_pdfs/19_3/19.3_ripple_marks.pdf
- ^ Is mysterious ‘red rain’ first evidence of life in space? — Yorkshire Today
- ^ 1 April 2006, New Scientist: Red rain fantasies
- ^ For the record, The Observer, March 12, 2006
- ^ http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf
- ^ Cardiff Centre of Astrobiology: Analysis of red rain of Kerala
- ^ Coloured Rain: A Report on the phenomenon http://www.geocities.com/iamgoddard/Sampath2001.pdf
- ^ http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf
- ^ http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/evolution/mg18925411.100
- ^ http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf
- ^ http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/060104_specksfrm1.htm
- ^ http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1723913,00.html
- ^ http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf
- ^ http://www.geocities.com/iamgoddard/Sampath2001.pdf
- ^ http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf
- ^ http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/060104_specksfrm1.htm
- ^ http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1723913,00.html
- ^ http://whyfiles.org/shorties/207red_rain/
- ^ http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0312/0312639.pdf
External links
- Sampath, S., Abraham, T.K., Sasi Kumar, V., & Mohanan, C.N. (2001). Coloured Rain: A Report on the Phenomenon. CESS-PR-114-2001, Center for Earth Science Studies and Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute.
- “Skepticism greets claim of possible alien microbes” in World Science
- “Red rain could prove that aliens have landed” by Amelia Gentleman and Robin McKie in The Observer
- “When aliens rained over India” by Hazel Muir in New Scientist
- “Is it raining aliens?” by Jebediah Reed in Popular Science
- Possible Causal Mechanism of Kerala's Red Rain
- Center for Earth Science Studies
- Dr. Godfrey Louis' Home Page
- “Searching for 'our alien origins'” by Andrew Thompson in BBC News
- "Red rain controversy" by David Tenenbaum in "The Why Files"