--- title: "Life Spreads Through Universe in Cosmic Dust, Paper Suggests" description: "New research posits that life originated somewhere in the cosmos — and that it traveled through space on tiny particles of cosmic dust." date: "2024-02-19" modified: "2024-02-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/life-cosmic-dust-universe" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "cosmic dust" - "panspermia" - "SETI" - "the digest" --- # Life Spreads Through Universe in Cosmic Dust, Paper Suggests ![New research posits that life originated somewhere in the cosmos — and that it traveled through space on tiny particles of cosmic dust.]() *\Image: Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Getty Images\* ## Star Stuff Acclaimed astronomer Carl Sagan may have been more right than he knew when he famously quipped that "[we are made of star stuff]()." In a not-yet-peer-reviewed [academic paper](), Georgian Free University of Tbilisi astrophysicist Z.N. Osmanov offers a fresh look at an established theory: that life on Earth, and potentially elsewhere in the cosmos, is the result of the same sort of tiny particles that create stars and planets. If that's true, as Osmanov claims, there may be more planets containing this life-breathing star stuff than we could possibly imagine. ## Across the Universe Known as "panspermia," the concept denotes — as the "sperm" in its name suggests — that the seeds of life can make their way between worlds, perhaps on asteroids or comets. In his paper, Osmanov, who is associated with the [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence]() (SETI) Institute, takes the theoretical concept a step further. Using the philosophical equation [formulated by famed astrobiologist Frank Drake](), he posits that there is an exponentially huge number of planets that could contain the seeds of life: a number to "the order of 3×107." "This value is so huge that if dust particles can travel a distance of the order of several hundred light years, one can conclude that the \[Milky Way\], with a diameter of 100,000 light-years, should be full of complex molecules distributed throughout the whole galaxy," he wrote. ## The Life Cosmic Life-containing dust could, Osmanov continues, travel "by means of the solar radiation pressure," and per his theory, those "small dust grains containing live organisms \[could\] travel to the nearest solar system, Alpha Centauri, in nine thousand years." To be clear, the astrophysicist is not arguing that there are an infinite number of planets where life actually exists. Rather, there could be an exponential number of worlds that could *potentially* support so-called "primitive" life, or the kinds of single-celled organisms that led to more complex creatures here on Earth. Obviously, as the folks over at [*Universe Today* point out](), there remains one gigantic cosmic elephant in the room containing Osmanov's panspermia equation: nobody has offered a good explanation for *where* exactly this dust comes from, or why it would lead to the appearance of life in the first place. That outstanding issue could, unfortunately, keep this fascinating concept and others like it it in the realm of the theoretical. **More on life:** [*Explosion Light-Years Away Could Obliterate Life on Earth, Scientists Find*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()