Comets and Contagion: Evolution and Diseases From Space
Journal of Cosmology, 2010, Vol 7, 1750-1770. JournalofCosmology.com May, 2010 Comets and Contagion: Evolution and Diseases From Space Rhawn Joseph, Ph.D. 1 , and Chandra Wickramasinghe, Ph.D. 2 , 1 Cosmology.com - Emeritus, Brain Research Laboratory, Northern California. 2 Astrobiology Centre, Cardiff University, UK Abstract For much of history comets have been associated with death and disease. There is increasing evidence that life on Earth originated in comets and other stellar debris. If passing comets have continued to deposit viruses and microorganisms on this planet, this may explain why ancient astronomers and civilizations attributed the periodic outbreak of plague to these stellar objects. Moreover, the subsequent evolution and extinction of life may have been directly impacted by the continued arrival of bacteria, archae, viruses, and their genes from space. On this picture the evolution of higher plants and animals, including humans, would be impacted by the inser...