Given below are two statements.

Statement I: Early Greek thinkers thought units of life called spores were transferred to different planets including the Earth.

Statement II: ‘Panspermia’ is still a favourite idea for some astronomers.

In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below. 

Early Greek thinkers thought units of life called spores were transferred to different planets including earth.

‘Panspermia’ is still a favourite idea for some astronomers.

Panspermia is the hypothesis that life, in the form of microorganisms or spores, could exist throughout the universe and be distributed from one celestial body to another, including from one planet to another. There are different variations of panspermia, including:

• Lithopanspermia: This suggests that life could be transferred between planets and celestial bodies through meteoroids, asteroids, or comets. Microorganisms or spores could survive the harsh conditions of space and impact another planet, potentially seeding it with life.
• Directed Panspermia: This idea proposes that life may have been deliberately transported or seeded by intelligent extraterrestrial beings to planets like Earth.

The concept of panspermia has gained attention because it offers a potential explanation for the origin of life on Earth and the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. It suggests that life might not have originated independently on each planet but could have been transported through space from one location to another.

While panspermia remains a topic of scientific interest and debate, it's important to note that it has not been definitively proven. The search for signs of life on Mars and the study of extremophiles (microorganisms that can survive in extreme conditions) on Earth are some of the areas of research that are related to the panspermia hypothesis.Overall, while the idea of panspermia is still explored by some astronomers and scientists, it remains a hypothesis and not a proven theory in the field of astrobiology.