Scientists at the University of Sheffield claim to have made a fascinating discovery, which could provide evidence of extraterrestrial life. Could this be possible? Let’s try to find out.

The findings

These are images of a particle that was found in the stratosphere, recorded with an electron microscope. The body was found by a scientific balloon at an altitude of 27 kilometers from the Earth’s surface and this, according to the scientists, suggests that it cannot have originated from our planet. For this reason, the scientists assume that these microbes should have come from somewhere else…

“Most would suggest that these particles simply have drifted to the stratosphere from Earth. Yet, it is commonly accepted that an organism of this size is impossible to reach an altitude of 27 km. The only exception is a violent volcanic eruption, but nothing like that was recorded during the three years of our research,” said Milton Wainwright, Professor of Molecular Biology at the University.

The research team led by Professor Wainwright sent a research balloon in the Earth’s stratosphere during the most recent meteor showers.

“As there is no other mechanism that can carry such particles to the stratosphere, we can conclude that these entities came from outer space. Our conclusion is that life continues arriving at Earth from space, that it is not limited to this planet and probably was not born here. If life is still coming from Space then we have to change our views about biology and evolution. The books should be rewritten!” added Professor Wainwright.

The balloon was equipped with special microscopes that were recording images between 22 km and 27 km from the Earth’s surface. When it landed, scientists discovered that it had recorded unusual biological particles in the stratosphere, which were too large to have traveled there from Earth.

The results and conclusions of the study were published in the Journal of Cosmology.

Is it really the evidence of extraterrestrial life?

No need to say that most scientists don’t share Dr. Wainwright’s enthusiasm. The team’s claims that their findings provide evidence of extraterrestrial life were met with a great deal of criticism and skepticism. Most scholars believe that the discovery is far from convincing and needs further research. Moreover, it is said that it is not the first time particles are found in the atmosphere and most often than not, their origin is terrestrial.

“The jump to the conclusion that it is alien life is a big jump and would require quite extraordinary proof”, said NASA’s astrobiologist Chris McKay.


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This Post Has One Comment

  1. Kevin Bacon

    I told you so!

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