Panspermia

[DRoseDARs]

God works in mysterious infuriating ways...

[Bill3000]

Make that four bananas.

[Zkribbler]

This is getting weird. First, Darwin says we're descended from apes. Now, Apolyton says we're descended from bananas.

[Lancer]

Hardly a bunch...I'll illustrate...



"God works in mysterious infuriating ways..."

Sometimes...

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

Since Creationists (including IDers) insist that YHWH created life on earth, so life coming from another planet is equally unacceptable to them. Okay, make that Christian Creationists, since I realise there are also Islamic Creationists.

As for evolutionists, we don't care one way or another how life first arose on earth. That is the domain of abiogenesis.

Yep,
from the standpoint of an biologist it doesn´t matter.
It can be said that it´s a lot more probable that life originated on earth, because panspermia has a lot of ifs (the cells have to survive a long journey through space [with their carrier {probably a meteor} being constantly bombarded by cosmic rays] and have to hit earth (which is really tiny compared to the vastness of space) at a time, where earths environment would allow the cells to survive).
So, although it is possible for that life could be transferred from one planet to another (probably in another solar system) the probability that it would happen (at the right time) is very small, IMHO much smaller than assuming that life evolved on earth itself.
And as UR already said, from a biologists standpoint it doesn´t make a difference if the first cells evolved on earth or on another planet. It would only shift the first steps of evolution from earth to the other planet (according to the panspermia Homepage these people believe that life didn´t evolve from organic molecules (i.e. no abiogenic evolution) but was present at all the time since the beginning of the universe. This part of the theory of course is unacceptable to a biologist (it cannot be derivated in a logical mannerr by what we know from the universe [for example heavier elements just were created with the help of supernova explosions, so where should the heavier elements [like oxygen] come from before the first supernova happened? )

As for Creationists, as UR said, it would be unacceptable to them just like the theory of evolution. Their belief is, that YHWH created all the animals and plants in the form we see now. There might be small changes (for example animals adapting to different temperature ranges) but within the view of the christian creationists there is definitely no place for higher multicellular animals and plants evolving from a single cellular organism (no matter if you make them belief that YHWH sent this single cells to earth or not). They believe the book of Genesis to be literally true (which clearly rules out evolution from simple to more complex organisms if taken literally).

[Provost Harrison]

Pantspermia...an unfortunate accident

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
First, Darwin says we're descended from apes. Now, Apolyton says we're descended from bananas.

Believe whoever you wish.