On 17 November 2017, astrobiologist Arjun Berera, of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, (pre) published his forthcoming study “Space Dust Collisions as a Planetary Escape Mechanism” (arXiv:1711.01895). This study deals with the origin of life.
Professor Berera’s study was translated in this news title: “Tiny aliens may ride clouds of ‘space dust’ between planets” (eg, Astronomy, BBC, C-Net, Daily Mail, Independent, NBC, Scientias). Arjun Berera in Independent: “The proposition that space dust collisions could propel organisms over enormous distances between planets raises some exciting prospects of how life and the atmospheres of planets originated.”
The estimated annual amount of cosmic, space or star dust is 40,000 metric tons, based on a 2001 estimate by Herbert Allen Zook (Wiki). Universe Today-2015: “Satellite observations suggest that 100-300 metric tons of cosmic dust enter the atmosphere each day“. This cosmic dust has been found in the white cliffs of Dover (Independent-2017) and on roof tops in Norway (NYT). The EU also funded a project on Cosmic Dust in the Terrestrial Atmosphere (CODITA).
In the 1980s, astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle and astrobiologist Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe had already speculated on this in their books Evolution from Space (1982) and Viruses from Space (1986). In May 2000, they claimed in Current Science that the influenza “outbreak was caused by dust deposited high in the atmosphere by passing comets being forced down to earth by energy generated by cooler patches on the sun’s surface, known as sunspots” (Guardian, 2000).
Wiki: “In April 2016, Jiangwen Qu of the Department of Infectious Disease Control in China presented a statistical study suggesting that “extremes of sunspot activity to within plus or minus 1 year may precipitate influenza pandemics.” He discussed possible mechanisms of epidemic initiation and early spread, including speculation on primary causation by externally derived viral variants from space via cometary dust.”
In June 2017, Jiangwen Qu, Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe and others, published a study called “Sunspot Cycle Minima and Pandemics: A case for vigilance at the present time“. Conclusion: “Minima in the sunspot cycle present conditions conducive to the entry of viruses and bacteria to the Earth and also for mutations of already circulating pathogens” (study).
present time
The June 2017 study noted that the “three grand minima of solar activity on record, being the Spörer minimum (1450-1550), Maunder minimum (1650-1700) and the Dalton minimum (1800-1830) have all been marked by a preponderance of pandemics: Small Pox, English Sweats, Plague and Cholera.” It adds that the years 2002-2017 have the deepest sunspot minimum ever and also show a resurgence of several pandemics, like SARS, MERS, Zika, Ebola, Influenza A.
The 2017 study by astrobiologist Arjun Berera may also explain why some viruses appear to be older than planet Earth (my blogs, Astrobiology, Scientific American).
Stardust (1927) by Hoagy Carmichael – artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
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