Chicxulub Impact Might Have Spread Life-Bearing Rocks Through the Solar System

KentuckyFC writes "Some 65 million years ago, an asteroid the size of a small city hit the Yucatan Peninsula in what is now Mexico, devastating Earth and triggering the sequence of events that wiped out the dinosaurs. This impact ejected 70 billion kg of Earth rock into space. To carry life around the Solar System, astrobiologists say these rocks must have stayed cool, less than 100 degrees C, and must also be big, more than 3 metres in diameter to protect organisms from radiation in space. Now they have calculated that 20,000 kilograms of this Earth ejecta must have reached Europa, including at least one or two potentially life-bearing rocks. And they say similar amounts must have reached other water-rich moons such as Callisto and Titan. Their conclusion is that if we find life on the moons around Saturn and Jupiter, it could well date from the time of the dinosaurs (or indeed from other similar impacts)."

Would not survive

[Anonymous Coward]

Dinosaurs were adapted very well of a N2 / O2 atmosphere and would not survive very well in the atmospheric mix of Europa or Titan, even if they did survive the journey there in their adult or larval stages. Aside from that, they need a very specific diet to survive that would not exist on any of the moons or planets they might find themselves on after re-entry. To the best of our knowledge, photosynthesis occurs on only a single body in the Solar System - Earth. We would be able to spot it's telltale signs if it occurred elsewhere.

Re:incorrect!

[Anonymous Coward]

jesus was the one who liberated the dinosaurs - i have seen pictures of him riding one!

What ignorance. The dinosaurs were killed during the global flood. They couldn't fit in Noah's Ark.

Re:And Vise-Versa

[SJHillman]

There are those who believe...that life out there began here, far across the Solar System...with tribes of dinosaurs...who may have been the forefathers of the Europans...or the Callistians...or the Titans...

Some believe that there may yet be descendants of microbes...who even now fight to survive—somewhere beyond the heavens!

Earthlings...

[Jedi Holocron]

...polluting space for aeons...

Attempt No Landing There

[tverbeek]

The Sentinel is going to be pissed that we'd already contaminated Europa.

Re: incorrect!

[ColdWetDog]

"isles and isles of documentation"

So you are saying that somewhere, in some distant and unexplored ocean there are islands filed with mouldering ancient texts that explain the origin of life, the universe and everything? Fascinating.

Have you considered pitching this idea to a video game company?

Re:Would not survive

[ColdWetDog]

But I like the idea of a 'larval' T. Rex falling down on some foreign planet or moon and reproducing. Jurassic Park in Space?

No, no Mr. Spielberg, that was a joke. Please don't do that. Don't write that down.