“Even the sternest opposition cannot stop the human thought. Not even punishment in life can stop people from observing, thinking and reasoning.” — Issac Asimov

THE big question is: how and when life came into existence? An equally big question is: what is or were — the earliest forms of life?

What is life, after all? What were the conditions from which life took its roots? What are the roots from which grew the massive tree of life laden with millions of species of trees, animals, insects and mammals.

Today we will discuss these and many more questions related to the origin of life and it’s proliferation around the globe. Let us call it “the origin, and the colour of life.”

Before we examine the enigmatic origin of life on this planet, allow me to complete the tale of the atmosphere.

The atmosphere hangs over us ominously, providing both life and sustenance, directly and indirectly to billions of humans, countless fauna, as well as trillion upon trillions of tonnes of flora. The pressure of atmosphere, at 14lbs per square inch at sea level, pressing down on humans, animals and trees at all times of the day and night and can crush all to smithereens.

Such tremendous pressure bearing down on us can be lethal. However, it cannot do so, and we are still surviving gleefully due to the fact that our bodies are exerting an equal outward pressure which cancels the atmospheric pressure altogether.

Now we shall begin the story of life from the unicellular cell, (and not the 100 million years prior to that when viruses, bacteria, amoeba and eukaryotes ruled the roost) and then move on to multi-cellular cells. Earlier, the unicellular cell was the most primitive form of life. It ‘stayed’ single and kept on producing its own copies, for as long a time as 200 million years. The precursor of life it was.

Unicellular (the single cell) organisms are clearly more ancient and more primitive than any multi-cellular system. It is easy to suppose that much before any multi-cellular organism had evolved, there were only unicellular organisms on Earth. (It should be appropriate to remind you that we humans are made up of 50 trillion cells — that is five followed by 13 zeros. A blue whale, for that matter, is made up of a hundred quadrillion cells or more — that is, one followed by 17 zeros!).

All the cells of the human body, and that of animals and all floras too, are eukaryotic, who in association with prokaryotes (an organism quite similar to eukaryotes) and laid the foundation for complex life to originate and proliferate across the planet.

Here it is essential to reiterate that we are falling into a trap: following the rules dictating the cauldron of evolution. As you know, the theory of evolution has been universally accepted as genuine in matters of creation of life. It not only stands the test of time but no other theory can match up to tonnes of evidence gathered in this and other related fields.

The one proof (among many) of evolution is similarity among various animals. See how wolves, dogs, jackals, wild dogs or hyenas and other canines resemble each other. Likewise, sheep, goats and deer do too. And all those cats or felines, whether domestic or wild do. So do numerous other land and sea creatures and birds too.

All of this seems to suggest that ‘all’, I repeat, all forms of life, however different in size, structure and function are descended from some common ancestor. Think about it, whether for or against evolution that one may be. The quote at the beginning of this article is meant to motivate you to do just that.

Back to the earliest forms of life. The first multi-cellular organism came into being some 800 million years ago. But before that the simple organism, consisting of soft parts only, lasted 200 million years. However, multi-cellular life did not spring out of nothing. Thus, unicellular organisms are clearly more primitive than multi-cellular, the later being the amalgamation of the former and having evolved from them. Until then life had been simply made up of single cells that eventually came together to form multi-cellular organism. This form of life came to be called eukaryotic cells, and the later, prokaryotes.

So far we have discussed the Earth’s many prominent features. We dwelt on its fragile but the all important crust and its many amazing aspects. We found it incredible and beyond belief that the crust, at places as thin as five kilometres, at other places somewhat thicker, can hold the weight of all the oceans as well as the mountains and continents drifting inexorably on top of magma which is hot and molten, itself hitching a ride on the hotter still mantle and core. The core serves as the foundation of the planet.

The creation of planet Earth is no less interesting; a lump of dust and gases, probably no bigger than a football field but possessing enough gravity to attract little things in the space around itself, happen to drift aimlessly among bigger lumps, also roaming in the neighbourhood. Gradually, it began to grow in size by capturing rogue dust and gases that happened to drift in its proximity.

This process is called ‘accretion’. Planet Earth began to grow in size; big, bigger and yet bigger. Accretion leads to a planet or moon gaining in size and consequently in gravity. The bigger it is, the stronger its gravitational field. With the passage of time — a few million years — it becomes either a sizable planet or a moon orbiting one planet or the other.

It is another matter whether it assumes the mantle of a gaseous or a rocky planet. Other factors come into play, like its distance from the sun. The planets in close proximity of the sun are forced to shed their gaseous veil if at all there is one, thanks to the sun’s gravity and (more importantly) the all pervading solar wind which drives away the unstoppable gaseous matter that may have seeped or escaped from the centre of the planet.

Such is the story of planet Earth: exciting yet incomplete. The sun pumps its inexorable solar wind in all directions. For that, 150 million km (1A.U) is too trivial a distance to avoid or escape from the harmful, in fact lethal, effects of the highly dangerous solar wind.

Yet we, the earthlings, are mercifully saved from the onslaught in a remarkable way. How? To know how it happens, and what part the so-called Van Allen Belt plays, let’s meet in the next issue!

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