According to scientists, we could be close to discovering proof of extra terrestrial life.
That is because the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Comet, which was landed on by the Philae spacecraft back in November, is thought to have features that indicate the possibility of micro-organisms living beneath the surface, including a black crust and icy lakes.
Not only that, but Rosetta, the spacecraft that orbits the comet, has picked up signs of strange clusters of organic material, that apparently resemble viral particles.
Astronomer and astrobiologist Prof Chandra Wickramasinghe spoke about the comet and claimed that data seemed to point to ‘micro-organisms being involved in the formation of the icy structures, the preponderance of aromatic hydrocarbons, and the very dark surface.’
He went on to speak about how we react to the possibility of other life bar our own in the universe and added:
Five hundred years ago it was a struggle to have people accept that the Earth was not the centre of the universe.
After that revolution our thinking has remained Earth-centred in relation to life and biology. It’s deeply ingrained in our scientific culture and it will take a lot of evidence to kick it over.
