<p>It seems <em>very</em> unlikely because while a supernova which sheds enough mass int he explosion can scatter matter from the planets of its system into interstellar space, it also tends to irradiate that matter and to heat it to a very high temperature, so at least as far as a supernova's planets being the source of life, it's difficult to see how that might work.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T13:06:02.983Z
There has been talk about impact events possibly spreading life to nearby planets. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-25201572
Wondering if a supernova event could "graze" a nearby solar system and cause a similar ejection. Which might limit whatever radiation exposure to life bearing material. The earliest life forms were extremophiles. Living in the intense heat of a volcanic vent. Not strangers to abuse.
drone6502
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T13:18:29.857Z
A simple near encounter with *any* star is a much better mechanism for that: Star wanders through Oort cloud; many comets formed; life-bearing planets heavily bombarded; life-bearing rocks thrown into space; life-bearing rocks land on another planet and seed it. But this mechanism seems *much* better at spreading life within a solar system that to other solar systems, since the hunks of rock ejected from the life-bearing planet would probably be sterilized before reaching another star. (It's hard enough to get the to the next planet without killing the onboard life.)
Mark Olson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T11:57:51.530Z
2018-07-03T11:57:51.530Z
Mark Olson
<p>The earliest life on Earth is thought to have began shortly after its formation (a few hundred million years after, by fossil evidence, and this while the late heavy bombardment was raging). With the next discernible leap (eukaryotes) happening billions of years later, That seems like a very short timeframe for life to spontaneously develop. Is it possible that life was seeded on an early Earth by a supernova of an earlier, life-bearing star, blasting living material across the cosmos?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T01:43:10.217Z
Sounds unlikely but like all questions of this type ("Is X wild theory possible") it's not possible to give a definitive answer other than "can't absolutely rule it out".  Can you provide a basis for saying *"a few hundred million years ... That seems like a very short timeframe for life to spontaneously develop"* ?
StephenG - Help Ukraine
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T01:44:18.167Z
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/12/life-may-have-originated-earth-4-billion-years-ago-study-controversial-fossils-suggests
drone6502
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T01:47:12.133Z
https://www.livescience.com/5426-life-survived-earth-early-bombardment.html
drone6502
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T15:43:21.400Z
See  K. Vonnegut,  "The Big Space Fuck"
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T19:42:59.763Z
The question asks: "could" and not "was". The answer is yes (there is no proof against), but no one knows it. We could talk about, if it is ontopic or not.
peterh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-04T01:18:32.263Z
Not sure if this is an *astronomy* question...
Chappo Hasn't Forgotten
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-05T02:08:13.820Z
Perhaps not entirely, since there is a biological aspect, but the physics of supernovas and things like radiation exposure certainly figure into the question. The finding of viable bacteria and fungi on the outside if the International Space station has some exciting implications as to the viability of life surviving transport through space, perhaps deep within a comet. How is a comet formed? Could an ancient frozen ocean have been fractured and carried intact through space? Could a sufficiently large comet shield life inside from radiation? Those are certainly astronomy questions.
drone6502
<earth><life>
Could Earth have been seeded with life?
drone6502
# Could Earth have been seeded with life?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-07-03)

The earliest life on Earth is thought to have began shortly after its formation (a few hundred million years after, by fossil evidence, and this while the late heavy bombardment was raging). With the next discernible leap (eukaryotes) happening billions of years later, That seems like a very short timeframe for life to spontaneously develop. Is it possible that life was seeded on an early Earth by a supernova of an earlier, life-bearing star, blasting living material across the cosmos?

**Tags:** earth, life

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Sounds unlikely but like all questions of this type ("Is X wild theory possible") it's not possible to give a definitive answer other than "can't absolutely rule it out".  Can you provide a basis for saying *"a few hundred million years ... That seems like a very short timeframe for life to spontaneously develop"* ?  
> **username_0**: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/12/life-may-have-originated-earth-4-billion-years-ago-study-controversial-fossils-suggests  
> **username_0**: https://www.livescience.com/5426-life-survived-earth-early-bombardment.html  
> **username_2**: See  K. Vonnegut,  "The Big Space Fuck"  
> **username_3**: The question asks: "could" and not "was". The answer is yes (there is no proof against), but no one knows it. We could talk about, if it is ontopic or not.  
> **username_4**: Not sure if this is an *astronomy* question...  
> **username_0**: Perhaps not entirely, since there is a biological aspect, but the physics of supernovas and things like radiation exposure certainly figure into the question. The finding of viable bacteria and fungi on the outside if the International Space station has some exciting implications as to the viability of life surviving transport through space, perhaps deep within a comet. How is a comet formed? Could an ancient frozen ocean have been fractured and carried intact through space? Could a sufficiently large comet shield life inside from radiation? Those are certainly astronomy questions.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-07-03. Score: 0

It seems *very* unlikely because while a supernova which sheds enough mass int he explosion can scatter matter from the planets of its system into interstellar space, it also tends to irradiate that matter and to heat it to a very high temperature, so at least as far as a supernova's planets being the source of life, it's difficult to see how that might work.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: There has been talk about impact events possibly spreading life to nearby planets. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-25201572 Wondering if a supernova event could "graze" a nearby solar system and cause a similar ejection. Which might limit whatever radiation exposure to life bearing material. The earliest life forms were extremophiles. Living in the intense heat of a volcanic vent. Not strangers to abuse.  
> **username_5**: A simple near encounter with *any* star is a much better mechanism for that: Star wanders through Oort cloud; many comets formed; life-bearing planets heavily bombarded; life-bearing rocks thrown into space; life-bearing rocks land on another planet and seed it. But this mechanism seems *much* better at spreading life within a solar system that to other solar systems, since the hunks of rock ejected from the life-bearing planet would probably be sterilized before reaching another star. (It's hard enough to get the to the next planet without killing the onboard life.)  

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