WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:01.560 --> 00:00:04.430 4 billion years ago Earth was a Barren 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:07.990 Wasteland lava flows toxic Skies a 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:10.950 planets screaming with chaos and then 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:13.709 something arrived something not from 00:00:13.719 --> 00:00:17.029 here a tiny hitchhiker clinging to the 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:19.349 icy surface of a comet or buried in the 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:20.390 rock of a 00:00:20.400 --> 00:00:23.550 meteorite microscopic unassuming but 00:00:23.560 --> 00:00:26.630 carrying the spark of life this wasn't 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:30.109 an accident this wasn't random these 00:00:30.119 --> 00:00:33.549 microbes alien in every sense landed on 00:00:33.559 --> 00:00:36.630 Earth and began to thrive feeding off 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:39.790 its mineral Rich chaos evolving into the 00:00:39.800 --> 00:00:41.910 vast Web of Life we see 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:45.470 today here's the shocking truth Life as 00:00:45.480 --> 00:00:48.430 we know it didn't originate here it was 00:00:48.440 --> 00:00:52.430 seeded from the stars and if that's true 00:00:52.440 --> 00:00:55.790 then everything changes Earth isn't our 00:00:55.800 --> 00:00:58.509 home it's just the first stop on a much 00:00:58.519 --> 00:01:01.869 larger Journey because we're not 00:01:01.879 --> 00:01:05.030 earthlings we're the aliens and we were 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:06.330 never supposed to 00:01:06.340 --> 00:01:24.590 [Music] 00:01:24.600 --> 00:01:27.510 stay to understand how life on Earth 00:01:27.520 --> 00:01:30.030 could have extraterrestrial Origins we 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:33.109 need to step into a story not just any 00:01:33.119 --> 00:01:36.510 story an imaginative tale rooted in the 00:01:36.520 --> 00:01:38.310 theories and findings that we will 00:01:38.320 --> 00:01:41.310 explore later in this video a memory 00:01:41.320 --> 00:01:44.350 from Beyond Time whispered by an ancient 00:01:44.360 --> 00:01:46.789 being who might have been there from the 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:49.749 beginning a being whose kind watched 00:01:49.759 --> 00:01:51.990 earth when it was still a violent 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:55.109 Untamed World a planet screaming with 00:01:55.119 --> 00:01:58.230 fire drowning in poison in completely 00:01:58.240 --> 00:02:00.870 void of life as you know it 00:02:00.880 --> 00:02:03.670 this being isn't human and its story 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:06.990 isn't recorded in any history books but 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.350 stories like these grounded in Creative 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:12.990 interpretation can help us visualize the 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:15.150 stunning possibilities behind the 00:02:15.160 --> 00:02:17.229 science and theories we're about to 00:02:17.239 --> 00:02:20.589 uncover so listen closely because even 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:23.309 this imaginative Journey could reshape 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:26.309 how we think about the origin of life on 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:30.150 Earth you don't know who I am or where I 00:02:30.160 --> 00:02:33.390 come from I doubt you'd even believe me 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:38.390 if I told you who or what I am but let's 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.670 just say I've been around long enough to 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:42.830 remember a time before Earth was 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:46.270 anything close to what you call home my 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:49.430 kind the Anunnaki existed when your 00:02:49.440 --> 00:02:52.070 planet was a molten chaotic orb 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:55.470 screaming its chaos into the void and 00:02:55.480 --> 00:02:59.430 yes we were watching we chose your world 00:02:59.440 --> 00:03:03.830 for a reason we had a plan The Voice Low 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:06.910 and resonant comes from somewhere beyond 00:03:06.920 --> 00:03:09.430 time from a being who remembers the 00:03:09.440 --> 00:03:11.949 birth of stars and the death of 00:03:11.959 --> 00:03:15.789 Worlds this being the narrator guides us 00:03:15.799 --> 00:03:18.030 through a tale that feels both ancient 00:03:18.040 --> 00:03:21.149 and unnervingly relevant as the voice 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:24.070 continues it speaks not with arrogance 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:26.030 but with the weight of a species that 00:03:26.040 --> 00:03:29.110 once played God our world was old 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:32.390 magnificent but Fragile the elders knew 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:34.789 it wouldn't last forever so we turned 00:03:34.799 --> 00:03:37.270 our gaze outward searching for a place 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:40.429 to sew the seeds of life not just to 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:43.149 save ourselves but to create something 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:45.670 greater something more 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:48.869 enduring that's where your Earth came in 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:52.509 the narrator pauses as if remembering 00:03:52.519 --> 00:03:55.990 the molten oceans the choking atmosphere 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:59.309 the raw Fury of a young Planet then the 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:02.390 story unfolds the spacecraft the 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:05.350 capsules of microbial life the delicate 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:07.949 balance between hope and hubris I 00:04:07.959 --> 00:04:10.229 remember the last time I gazed at your 00:04:10.239 --> 00:04:13.509 planet it was unrecognizable then a 00:04:13.519 --> 00:04:16.550 molten sphere cloaked in fire and fury 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:19.509 an angry child of the cosmos screaming 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:23.110 its chaos into the void shallow oceans 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:26.350 boiled under a sky thick with poison 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:29.790 volcanoes raged endlessly spewing Molten 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:32.670 Rock and choking the air with Ash it was 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:37.270 beautiful in its way dangerous but 00:04:37.280 --> 00:04:40.310 promising my kind we called ourselves 00:04:40.320 --> 00:04:42.830 the Anunnaki were not beings of 00:04:42.840 --> 00:04:45.390 sentiment we didn't choose Earth out of 00:04:45.400 --> 00:04:48.870 love or compassion it was practical 00:04:48.880 --> 00:04:51.110 strategic we needed a cradle for 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:53.390 something greater than ourselves a place 00:04:53.400 --> 00:04:55.710 where the seeds of life could take root 00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:58.310 and evolve into something extraordinary 00:04:58.320 --> 00:05:01.590 approving ground a petri dish call it 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:04.110 what you will the directive came from 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:06.749 our elders the ones who whispered of a 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:11.230 Dying star and dwindling time our world 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:14.990 magnificent and ancient was reaching its 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:17.590 Twilight survival would require 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:20.390 Ingenuity but more importantly it would 00:05:20.400 --> 00:05:23.309 require successors life that could grow 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:26.230 beyond what we were what we could ever 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:30.070 be Earth with its swirling chaos was 00:05:30.080 --> 00:05:33.230 chosen it had all the right ingredients 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:37.029 the fire the water the minerals all it 00:05:37.039 --> 00:05:40.390 lacked was the spark we gathered what we 00:05:40.400 --> 00:05:43.710 called the zarck capsules of microscopic 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:46.110 life harvested from the outer edges of 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:50.110 our galaxy procaryotes extremophiles 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:53.670 simple yet resilient organisms building 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:56.350 blocks of life we engineered them to 00:05:56.360 --> 00:05:58.870 endure the impossible to thrive in 00:05:58.880 --> 00:06:00.150 hellscapes 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:03.590 and then we added something else call it 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:07.790 a gift or a curse or a code it was the 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:11.270 essence of us our DNA fragmented and 00:06:11.280 --> 00:06:13.870 hidden Within These primitive forms a 00:06:13.880 --> 00:06:16.550 Tim locked message for the universe to 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:19.469 decode when the capsules were ready we 00:06:19.479 --> 00:06:22.230 brought them to the chamber I still 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:24.790 remember the hum of the launch The Gleam 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:27.150 of light as the containment pods were 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:30.029 loaded into our vessel there was no 00:06:30.039 --> 00:06:33.629 ceremony no celebration just the cold 00:06:33.639 --> 00:06:35.950 efficient purpose of a species playing 00:06:35.960 --> 00:06:38.990 God we arrived above Earth cloaked in 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:41.950 the shadows of its orbit below us the 00:06:41.960 --> 00:06:45.350 chaos churned a planet still young 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:48.710 hostile and waiting the zarak were 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:52.110 released one by one falling like Embers 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:55.029 Into The Cauldron below they entered the 00:06:55.039 --> 00:06:58.070 oceans the molten cracks in the surface 00:06:58.080 --> 00:07:00.790 the volcanic plumes viewing gases into 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:03.909 the atmosphere everywhere they touched 00:07:03.919 --> 00:07:07.230 they adapted they thrived that was the 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:11.430 plan survival first evolution second and 00:07:11.440 --> 00:07:15.550 then one day something more our hope the 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:17.869 elders Hope was that these microbes 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:20.749 would carry our Legacy into the cosmos 00:07:20.759 --> 00:07:23.790 not as clones not as replicas but as 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:27.029 something new something better but we 00:07:27.039 --> 00:07:31.150 underestimated the chaos Earth was wild 00:07:31.160 --> 00:07:33.990 uncontrollable the zarak mutated faster 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.550 than we predicted they learned to thrive 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:38.990 not just in spite of the hostility but 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.710 because of it we watched as they began 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:44.790 to divide and diversify as they claimed 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:47.990 the planet for their own the oceans 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:51.230 teamed with life the skies began to 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:56.189 shift to clear the air itself 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:58.510 transformed and then we saw the first 00:07:58.520 --> 00:08:01.390 Spark of complex it organisms that were 00:08:01.400 --> 00:08:03.909 no longer simple that were learning 00:08:03.919 --> 00:08:07.629 adapting creating they were becoming 00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:10.070 something else something we couldn't 00:08:10.080 --> 00:08:13.469 entirely predict something we couldn't 00:08:13.479 --> 00:08:17.510 control I left Earth long ago my kind 00:08:17.520 --> 00:08:19.909 chose not to intervene to let our 00:08:19.919 --> 00:08:21.950 experiment unfold without our 00:08:21.960 --> 00:08:25.790 interference but sometimes I wonder did 00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:28.390 we create life or did we unleash 00:08:28.400 --> 00:08:29.990 something we don't fully 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:32.870 understand did we shape Earth or did 00:08:32.880 --> 00:08:35.990 Earth shape what we left behind you call 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:38.670 this directed panspermia the idea that 00:08:38.680 --> 00:08:40.550 life on your planet didn't start here 00:08:40.560 --> 00:08:44.630 but was sent delivered by beings like us 00:08:44.640 --> 00:08:48.550 you think it's a theory but I was there 00:08:48.560 --> 00:08:51.509 I watched the first Spark take hold and 00:08:51.519 --> 00:08:55.350 I wonder if we created gods or Monsters 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:58.670 or something far Stranger Than either we 00:08:58.680 --> 00:09:01.230 didn't stay to watch the outcome we 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:04.030 didn't stay to see you but we always 00:09:04.040 --> 00:09:07.070 knew you'd come looking for 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:11.550 [Music] 00:09:11.560 --> 00:09:14.670 us to fully appreciate the potential of 00:09:14.680 --> 00:09:17.350 directed panspermia the idea that life 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:20.030 on Earth has extraterrestrial Origins we 00:09:20.040 --> 00:09:22.670 need to take a step back before we dive 00:09:22.680 --> 00:09:25.269 deeper into this captivating possibility 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:27.150 we owe it to ourselves and to The 00:09:27.160 --> 00:09:29.750 Pursuit Of Truth to explore the other 00:09:29.760 --> 00:09:32.670 explanation science offers for how life 00:09:32.680 --> 00:09:35.790 might have begun now I'm not talking 00:09:35.800 --> 00:09:37.870 about wild guesses scribbled on the back 00:09:37.880 --> 00:09:40.910 of a cocktail napkin these are legit big 00:09:40.920 --> 00:09:43.190 deal theories built on Decades of people 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:46.470 in lab coats running experiments arguing 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:48.990 and occasionally yelling 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:52.030 Eureka but here's the thing science is 00:09:52.040 --> 00:09:54.509 like a jigsaw puzzle you picked up at a 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:57.990 yard sale some pieces are missing others 00:09:58.000 --> 00:09:59.910 don't quite fit and you're left 00:09:59.920 --> 00:10:01.550 squinting at the picture on the box 00:10:01.560 --> 00:10:03.470 trying to figure out what you're looking 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.990 at the theories we're about to unpack 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:10.030 they've got some solid points sure but 00:10:10.040 --> 00:10:12.389 they also leave us with a lot of head 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:15.790 scratchers so grab a drink settle in and 00:10:15.800 --> 00:10:18.750 let's walk through these ideas we'll see 00:10:18.760 --> 00:10:21.590 what they explain what they don't and 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:23.430 why they're not quite the slam dunks 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:27.670 some think they 00:10:27.680 --> 00:10:30.150 were all right so let's talk about one 00:10:30.160 --> 00:10:32.110 of the most popular theories for how 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:35.470 life got started on Earth 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:38.389 abiogenesis big word I know but it just 00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:41.550 means life popped up all on its own no 00:10:41.560 --> 00:10:44.110 alien interference no Cosmic seating 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:47.150 program just Earth doing its thing 00:10:47.160 --> 00:10:49.590 according to this idea life didn't need 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:53.110 any outside help nope it was all about 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:56.389 chemistry picture this billions of years 00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:00.269 ago Earth was a hot mess allow mineral 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:03.470 packed oceans think of them as Nature's 00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:07.550 primordial soup we're stewing away now 00:11:07.560 --> 00:11:10.710 toss in some basic ingredients methane a 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:13.710 gas that smells like bad eggs ammonia 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:17.269 the stuffing window cleaner hydrogen and 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:20.670 water these molecules collided mixed and 00:11:20.680 --> 00:11:23.350 eventually teamed up to make amino acids 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:24.750 and 00:11:24.760 --> 00:11:27.190 nucleotides which are basically like the 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:30.710 Lego bricks of life but the kicker 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:33.670 energy was everywhere lightning strikes 00:11:33.680 --> 00:11:36.550 lit up the sky volcanoes were erupting 00:11:36.560 --> 00:11:40.150 like Party Poppers ultraviolet UV rays 00:11:40.160 --> 00:11:43.030 from the Sun were sizzling everything in 00:11:43.040 --> 00:11:45.750 hydrothermal vents basically underwater 00:11:45.760 --> 00:11:48.269 geysers were adding heat and chemicals 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:52.069 to the mix it was chaos but the kind of 00:11:52.079 --> 00:11:53.750 chaos that's perfect for cooking up 00:11:53.760 --> 00:11:54.910 something 00:11:54.920 --> 00:11:59.629 extraordinary in 1953 two scientists m 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:02.949 and Yuri thought hey what if we could 00:12:02.959 --> 00:12:06.110 recreate that primordial soup in the lab 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:08.230 so they set up a contraption that 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:10.790 mimicked early Earth a glass chamber 00:12:10.800 --> 00:12:13.150 filled with gases and Zapped it with 00:12:13.160 --> 00:12:16.590 electricity to simulate lightning boom 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:19.710 amino acids formed it was like Nature's 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:22.670 cookbook handed over its first recipe 00:12:22.680 --> 00:12:26.189 the building blocks of life pretty cool 00:12:26.199 --> 00:12:29.430 right but here's the real head scratcher 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:31.670 how did those tiny molecules take the 00:12:31.680 --> 00:12:34.189 next step and organize themselves into 00:12:34.199 --> 00:12:37.670 something as complex as a living 00:12:37.680 --> 00:12:40.430 [Music] 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:44.350 cell the theory points to RNA 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:48.430 ribonucleic acid basically DNA's chill 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:52.189 cousin Unlike DNA RNA can store 00:12:52.199 --> 00:12:55.110 information and catalyze speed up 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:57.550 chemical reactions which makes it the 00:12:57.560 --> 00:13:00.310 MVP for early life 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:02.590 so maybe RNA got the ball rolling by 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:04.389 replicating itself and passing along 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:05.870 some early genetic 00:13:05.880 --> 00:13:09.710 codes then comes the next leap cellular 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:12.269 structures the theory says lipid 00:13:12.279 --> 00:13:14.069 molecules or 00:13:14.079 --> 00:13:16.470 fats might have naturally formed these 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:20.750 tiny bubbles or vesicles in the soup 00:13:20.760 --> 00:13:22.670 these bubbles acted like little 00:13:22.680 --> 00:13:25.389 containers protecting the fragile RNA 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:27.750 and other molecules from the harsh 00:13:27.760 --> 00:13:31.710 environment so congrats Earth you've got 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:34.470 protocells the world's first attempt at 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:37.710 life so let me get this straight life 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:40.629 started in a bowl of soup What Was it 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:43.350 chicken noodle or volcanic surprise come 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:46.189 on break this down for the folks at 00:13:46.199 --> 00:13:49.269 home okay wend here's the simplified 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:52.069 version imagine Earth as a cosmic 00:13:52.079 --> 00:13:54.509 kitchen lightning and volcanoes are the 00:13:54.519 --> 00:13:57.310 chefs stirring up the steamy chemical 00:13:57.320 --> 00:14:00.110 stew until voila amino acids and 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:02.949 molecules to show up then these 00:14:02.959 --> 00:14:06.150 molecules are like hm hey let's form a 00:14:06.160 --> 00:14:08.670 club and eventually they get their act 00:14:08.680 --> 00:14:10.470 together and become the first living 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:13.310 things okay but let's pump the brakes 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:15.509 for a second you're telling me a bunch 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.590 of random chemicals Zapped by lightning 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:21.189 somehow turned into life that's like 00:14:21.199 --> 00:14:23.749 saying if I throw some wires a battery 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:25.990 and duct tape into a washing machine 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:27.870 I'll end up with a fully functioning 00:14:27.880 --> 00:14:30.389 iPhone when where's the proof that this 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:34.350 Cosmic blender didn't just create a mess 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:37.069 instead of life and don't even get me 00:14:37.079 --> 00:14:39.269 started on how these tiny molecules 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:41.030 magically decided to 00:14:41.040 --> 00:14:43.509 self-replicate sounds more like a wild 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:46.350 guess than a theory backed by hard 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:49.030 evidence those are all fair points I 00:14:49.040 --> 00:14:51.790 mean the theory has its moments it's not 00:14:51.800 --> 00:14:54.670 completely bananas the Miller Yuri 00:14:54.680 --> 00:14:57.069 experiment showed that organic molecules 00:14:57.079 --> 00:14:59.829 can form under the right conditions but 00:14:59.839 --> 00:15:01.430 yeah let's not ignore the elephant in 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:04.110 the room jumping from a couple of amino 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:05.829 acids to something that can 00:15:05.839 --> 00:15:09.269 self-replicate metabolize and evolve 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:12.030 that's one massive leap maybe it 00:15:12.040 --> 00:15:14.269 happened just like the textbooks say or 00:15:14.279 --> 00:15:17.389 maybe there's a missing ingredient here 00:15:17.399 --> 00:15:20.710 something we haven't figured out 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:24.749 [Music] 00:15:24.759 --> 00:15:27.870 yet apio Genesis gives us the classic 00:15:27.880 --> 00:15:30.430 story of Life starting on the surface 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:32.269 but some scientists think the real 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:35.030 action was happening way below like 00:15:35.040 --> 00:15:37.470 miles below at these things called 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:40.829 hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor if 00:15:40.839 --> 00:15:43.790 you've never heard of hydrothermal vent 00:15:43.800 --> 00:15:46.110 imagine a giant underwater volcano 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:48.949 spewing super hot water loaded with all 00:15:48.959 --> 00:15:51.189 kinds of minerals and gases like 00:15:51.199 --> 00:15:53.749 hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs 00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:57.790 but hey microbes love it and methane yep 00:15:57.800 --> 00:16:00.069 the same stuff that makes cow burps 00:16:00.079 --> 00:16:02.670 Infamous for climate change it's 00:16:02.680 --> 00:16:05.309 basically a bubbling chemical cocktail 00:16:05.319 --> 00:16:07.870 happening in an environment so extreme 00:16:07.880 --> 00:16:09.710 it makes you wonder how anything could 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:13.030 survive there here's the theory these 00:16:13.040 --> 00:16:14.949 vents which scientists sometimes call 00:16:14.959 --> 00:16:17.189 Black smokers because they look like 00:16:17.199 --> 00:16:19.790 chimneys puffing out dark plumes could 00:16:19.800 --> 00:16:21.710 have been the perfect hangout for life 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:25.189 to kick off all that hot mineral Rich 00:16:25.199 --> 00:16:27.269 water could have acted like a natural 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:29.550 chemistry set with the minerals around 00:16:29.560 --> 00:16:31.829 the vents playing the role of Matchmaker 00:16:31.839 --> 00:16:32.910 for 00:16:32.920 --> 00:16:35.910 molecules the result biochemical 00:16:35.920 --> 00:16:37.829 reactions that might have been the first 00:16:37.839 --> 00:16:41.030 steps toward life and believe it or not 00:16:41.040 --> 00:16:43.110 we've got Moder day proof that life 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:44.790 loves these crazy 00:16:44.800 --> 00:16:48.590 spots there are microorganisms called 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:51.509 extremophiles basically tiny life worms 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:54.230 with the attitude of a rock star these 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:57.030 guys thrive in boiling heat crushing 00:16:57.040 --> 00:16:59.470 pressure in toxic environment that would 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:02.389 kill most living things so it makes you 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:05.630 think well if they can do it why not the 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:09.750 first life forms oh so now life started 00:17:09.760 --> 00:17:12.069 at the bottom of the ocean let me guess 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:13.870 we're talking about underwater volcanoes 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:17.150 spewing hot soup this time what's next 00:17:17.160 --> 00:17:20.189 life in a toaster oven explain this one 00:17:20.199 --> 00:17:22.949 genius all right I will explain it 00:17:22.959 --> 00:17:25.470 imagine this deep in the ocean these 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:28.270 hydrothermal vents basically Nature's 00:17:28.280 --> 00:17:30.830 underwater geysers are blasting out 00:17:30.840 --> 00:17:33.909 superheated mineral Rich water it's like 00:17:33.919 --> 00:17:36.430 a buffet of chemicals and energy which 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:38.070 might have been just the thing tiny 00:17:38.080 --> 00:17:40.909 microbes needed to thrive these little 00:17:40.919 --> 00:17:43.190 guys could have fed on all the good 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:45.270 stuff coming out of the vents and gotten 00:17:45.280 --> 00:17:47.870 their start in life's toughest boot camp 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:50.150 so let me get this straight life decided 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:52.710 to pop into existence in the most 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:55.510 inhospitable high press scolding hot 00:17:55.520 --> 00:17:58.990 part of the ocean right because when I I 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:01.070 think ideal conditions for delicate 00:18:01.080 --> 00:18:04.630 little microbes I totally think lava 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:09.149 jacuzzi sure why not look wend I get it 00:18:09.159 --> 00:18:11.830 it sounds nuts but then you realize how 00:18:11.840 --> 00:18:14.430 many extremophiles those crazy tough 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:17.830 microbes live near these vents today and 00:18:17.840 --> 00:18:20.390 it kind of makes sense these little guys 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:22.630 are basically like oh you thought this 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:26.669 was hard this is where we Thrive so yeah 00:18:26.679 --> 00:18:29.230 it's extreme but maybe life isn't as 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:32.750 fragile as we think still I can't blame 00:18:32.760 --> 00:18:34.830 you for finding it a little hard to 00:18:34.840 --> 00:18:37.070 swallow maybe we're missing a piece of 00:18:37.080 --> 00:18:39.750 the puzzle heck maybe the puzzle's even 00:18:39.760 --> 00:18:41.770 bigger than we 00:18:41.780 --> 00:18:46.710 [Music] 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:49.190 realize there are some other ideas in 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:52.149 the mix too kind of like the runnner up 00:18:52.159 --> 00:18:55.110 in a science fair there variations of 00:18:55.120 --> 00:18:57.350 the main theories we've already covered 00:18:57.360 --> 00:18:59.310 each trying to explain how life might 00:18:59.320 --> 00:19:02.310 have gotten its start for example the 00:19:02.320 --> 00:19:04.789 deep sea alkaline hydrothermal vent 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:07.149 theory is like the black smoker 00:19:07.159 --> 00:19:10.230 hypothesis chill sibling instead of 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:13.390 chaotic acidic conditions it imagines a 00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:16.029 more relaxed ph balanced environment 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:18.870 where early life could have emerged 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:20.789 think of it as the spa version of the 00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:22.510 underwater volcano 00:19:22.520 --> 00:19:25.350 idea then there's the RNA World 00:19:25.360 --> 00:19:27.630 hypothesis which puts RNA in the 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:29.190 spotlight as the mole molecule that 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:33.070 started it all RNA by the way is like 00:19:33.080 --> 00:19:35.870 DNA Scrappy older sibling it's a 00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:38.510 molecule that can store genetic info and 00:19:38.520 --> 00:19:40.669 do chemical work which makes it a prime 00:19:40.679 --> 00:19:43.110 suspect for the whole first life 00:19:43.120 --> 00:19:46.230 situation basically RNA could have been 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:49.310 the original multitasker before DNA and 00:19:49.320 --> 00:19:52.149 protein showed up and specialized next 00:19:52.159 --> 00:19:54.510 we've got the iron sulfur World 00:19:54.520 --> 00:19:56.830 hypothesis this one argues that life 00:19:56.840 --> 00:19:58.669 might have started on shiny metallic 00:19:58.679 --> 00:20:03.510 minerals like pyite AKA Fool's Gold the 00:20:03.520 --> 00:20:05.430 idea is that chemical reactions on these 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:08.230 surfaces could have jumpstarted life 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:10.470 with iron and sulfur compounds playing 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:11.870 the role of 00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:15.230 matchmakers and finally there's the clay 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:20.190 hypothesis yep clay good old mud this 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:22.190 Theory says that mineral surfaces in 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:25.070 clay might have acted like a mold 00:20:25.080 --> 00:20:27.390 helping organic molecules line up and 00:20:27.400 --> 00:20:29.870 connect in ways that eventually led to 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:33.230 life it's basically like Playdoh school 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:35.590 of thought nature used whatever was 00:20:35.600 --> 00:20:36.990 lying around to shape the building 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:40.669 blocks of life oh great here comes the 00:20:40.679 --> 00:20:42.789 lightning round of leftover theories let 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:45.070 me guess these are the runner-ups the 00:20:45.080 --> 00:20:47.029 almost plausible but still ridiculous 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:51.270 ideas right enlighten me okay wend I'll 00:20:51.280 --> 00:20:53.950 humor you here's the rundown the deep 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:55.470 sea alkaline vent theory is like the 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:57.310 original vent idea but with a little 00:20:57.320 --> 00:20:59.190 less drama kind of like like swapping 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:01.789 hot sauce for ranch dressing the RNA 00:21:01.799 --> 00:21:03.750 World hypothesis is all about RNA 00:21:03.760 --> 00:21:05.549 showing up first and being the 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:08.270 overachiever molecule handling storage 00:21:08.280 --> 00:21:11.070 and chemical reactions all at once the 00:21:11.080 --> 00:21:13.110 iron sulfur World hypothesis has us 00:21:13.120 --> 00:21:15.510 imagining life starting on shiny rocks 00:21:15.520 --> 00:21:18.669 because why not and then there's the 00:21:18.679 --> 00:21:21.190 clay hypothesis which says life might 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:23.630 have started in mud puddles using clay 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:26.590 as a kind of molecular Lego set it's 00:21:26.600 --> 00:21:28.669 like nature was saying let's just try 00:21:28.679 --> 00:21:32.549 everything and see what works wait wait 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:35.430 let me get this straight life possibly 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:37.909 started on a clay playground on shiny 00:21:37.919 --> 00:21:40.630 rocks or because some RNA molecule 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:43.350 decided it was ambitious and this is the 00:21:43.360 --> 00:21:46.549 best science can do sounds like nature 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:48.149 was throwing spaghetti at the wall to 00:21:48.159 --> 00:21:50.630 see what's stuck 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:53.990 literally honestly that's not far off 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:56.390 science is basically a giant game of 00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:59.510 what if sometimes it's brilliant and 00:21:59.520 --> 00:22:01.310 other times it's just throwing theories 00:22:01.320 --> 00:22:04.149 at the universe and hoping one lands but 00:22:04.159 --> 00:22:05.590 yeah when you step back and look at 00:22:05.600 --> 00:22:08.149 these ideas all at once it does feel 00:22:08.159 --> 00:22:09.710 like nature was working through every 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:12.310 option in its Cosmic cookbook and 00:22:12.320 --> 00:22:14.630 instead of giving us clear answers it 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:17.669 left us with even more questions classic 00:22:17.679 --> 00:22:18.549 science 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:21.190 move these mainstream theories are 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:23.950 pretty incredible no question about it 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:25.630 they're the result of generations of 00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:27.750 scientists rolling up their sleeves and 00:22:27.760 --> 00:22:30.310 trying to crack one of Humanity's oldest 00:22:30.320 --> 00:22:34.110 Mysteries where we came from each Theory 00:22:34.120 --> 00:22:36.830 gives us some juicy Clues but they also 00:22:36.840 --> 00:22:38.909 leave us with some big gaping question 00:22:38.919 --> 00:22:42.149 marks for every riddle they solve it 00:22:42.159 --> 00:22:44.669 feels like two more pop up like some 00:22:44.679 --> 00:22:46.029 Cosmic game of 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:48.750 whack-a-mole and here's the kicker none 00:22:48.760 --> 00:22:51.269 of these theories really nail how life 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:53.110 made the leap from a bunch of random 00:22:53.120 --> 00:22:55.390 chemicals to actual living breathing 00:22:55.400 --> 00:22:56.630 reproducing 00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:00.070 cells they great at in the ingredients 00:23:00.080 --> 00:23:01.549 but when it comes to explaining the 00:23:01.559 --> 00:23:04.789 recipe how you mix bake and end up with 00:23:04.799 --> 00:23:07.269 a miracle of life we're left scratching 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:10.070 our heads it's like someone handed us a 00:23:10.080 --> 00:23:12.430 box of cake mix but forgot to include 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:15.430 the instructions or the oven this is 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:16.990 where things start to get a little more 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:19.830 interesting and maybe a bit weird 00:23:19.840 --> 00:23:22.350 because if the idea of pans peria has 00:23:22.360 --> 00:23:24.750 even a hint of truth to it then the 00:23:24.760 --> 00:23:26.710 missing recipe might not be from Earth 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:29.590 at all what if life Secret Sauce didn't 00:23:29.600 --> 00:23:32.110 originate here but came from somewhere 00:23:32.120 --> 00:23:35.590 way out in the cosmos suddenly we're not 00:23:35.600 --> 00:23:37.390 just talking about life as a local 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:40.110 phenomenon we're talking about a recipe 00:23:40.120 --> 00:23:44.020 that spans 00:23:44.030 --> 00:23:50.070 [Music] 00:23:50.080 --> 00:23:52.669 galaxies let's take a moment to size up 00:23:52.679 --> 00:23:54.630 the mainstream theories about how life 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:58.549 got its start we've got abiogenesis 00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:01.310 hydrothermal vents the RNA World 00:24:01.320 --> 00:24:03.470 hypothesis they're like pieces of a 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:06.510 puzzle the problem it feels like half 00:24:06.520 --> 00:24:08.630 the pieces are missing and someone lost 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:11.230 the picture on the box even after 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:13.590 centuries of research these theories 00:24:13.600 --> 00:24:15.950 leave us with way more questions than 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:19.630 answers take abiogenesis for example 00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:22.230 it's the idea that life somehow arose 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:25.110 spontaneously from a chemical soup 00:24:25.120 --> 00:24:27.710 you've got this primordial mix of water 00:24:27.720 --> 00:24:31.269 methane I hydrogen all the ingredients 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:34.669 you find in Nature's janky kitchen but 00:24:34.679 --> 00:24:36.230 even with cool experiments like the 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:39.029 Miller Yuri one where scientists zaap to 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:40.950 pretend the early Earth soup with 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:43.470 electricity and got amino acids the 00:24:43.480 --> 00:24:45.549 building blocks of life we're still 00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:48.430 stuck on the big question how do you go 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:50.950 from simple molecules to a fully 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:53.870 functional self-replicating system it's 00:24:53.880 --> 00:24:56.230 like looking at a pile of Legos and 00:24:56.240 --> 00:24:58.389 expecting them to assemble themselves 00:24:58.399 --> 00:25:00.710 into the Millennium Falcon just because 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:03.350 you wave the lightning bolt over them 00:25:03.360 --> 00:25:06.990 where's the definitive proof oh sure the 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:09.149 old lightning zaps a puddle and then 00:25:09.159 --> 00:25:11.549 boom life happens Theory because 00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:13.230 obviously molecules are just itching to 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:14.710 team up and become a fully functioning 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:17.190 cell right let me see if I've got this 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:20.510 straight random chance somehow pulls off 00:25:20.520 --> 00:25:23.789 the greatest magic trick of all time 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:27.389 creating RNA proteins membranes and 00:25:27.399 --> 00:25:29.909 metabolism all at once without any 00:25:29.919 --> 00:25:32.549 blueprint or director and this 00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:35.149 miraculous event happens once in 00:25:35.159 --> 00:25:37.590 billions of years under perfect 00:25:37.600 --> 00:25:40.029 conditions and never again that's not 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:41.870 science that's like hitting the 00:25:41.880 --> 00:25:43.830 molecular Powerball jackpot with a 00:25:43.840 --> 00:25:46.549 ticket you didn't even buy and here's 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:49.310 the kicker we've been trying to recreate 00:25:49.320 --> 00:25:51.669 this for decades in controlled Labs with 00:25:51.679 --> 00:25:54.190 all our fancy Tech and we still can't do 00:25:54.200 --> 00:25:57.310 it yeah forgive me if I'm not sold then 00:25:57.320 --> 00:26:00.110 there's the hydro Al vent hypothesis 00:26:00.120 --> 00:26:01.950 this one argues that life started not on 00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:03.950 the surface but deep down in the ocean 00:26:03.960 --> 00:26:06.269 at hydrothermal vents basically 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:08.590 underwater volcanoes that spew super hot 00:26:08.600 --> 00:26:11.230 mineral Rich water these vents have all 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:14.510 the right raw materials in some Modern 00:26:14.520 --> 00:26:16.870 extremophiles microbes that love living 00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:19.070 in places that would kill most things 00:26:19.080 --> 00:26:21.909 thrive in similar spots today but here's 00:26:21.919 --> 00:26:23.830 the problem no one's been able to 00:26:23.840 --> 00:26:26.430 recreate the whole process in lab it's 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:28.029 like having all the ingredients for a 00:26:28.039 --> 00:26:28.830 cake 00:26:28.840 --> 00:26:31.070 but realizing you've got no oven and 00:26:31.080 --> 00:26:33.470 your kitchen's underwater and let's not 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:36.710 forget the RNA World hypothesis RNA is a 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:39.669 superstar molecule it can store genetic 00:26:39.679 --> 00:26:42.669 info like DNA and even catalyze chemical 00:26:42.679 --> 00:26:45.590 reactions like proteins but here's the 00:26:45.600 --> 00:26:50.110 catch RNA is fragile like really fragile 00:26:50.120 --> 00:26:52.830 in a chaotic Prebiotic world where 00:26:52.840 --> 00:26:54.870 meteors were crashing and volcanoes were 00:26:54.880 --> 00:26:57.789 erupting how did something so delicate 00:26:57.799 --> 00:27:00.269 stick around long enough to Kickstart 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:02.590 life it's like trying to keep a house of 00:27:02.600 --> 00:27:04.029 cards standing in a 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:06.870 hurricane mainstream theories while 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:09.750 fascinating still hit us with some major 00:27:09.760 --> 00:27:10.590 head 00:27:10.600 --> 00:27:12.310 scratchers where did the first 00:27:12.320 --> 00:27:15.269 self-replicating molecules come from did 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:17.389 they just materialize out of nowhere or 00:27:17.399 --> 00:27:19.710 is there a missing piece of the story we 00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:22.190 haven't found yet what about the 00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:24.710 Cambrian explosion when life on Earth 00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:27.149 suddenly got super weird and diverse 00:27:27.159 --> 00:27:29.029 like nature hit the Evolution on 00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:31.990 steroids Buton why does it look more 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:34.310 like a cosmic switch got flipped than a 00:27:34.320 --> 00:27:35.870 gradual 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:39.549 process and why For the Love of science 00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:41.990 haven't we been able to recreate the 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:44.789 Genesis of life in the lab yet we've got 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:47.070 all this technology and knowledge but no 00:27:47.080 --> 00:27:49.789 one's cracked the code don't get me 00:27:49.799 --> 00:27:52.389 wrong these theories are groundbreaking 00:27:52.399 --> 00:27:54.669 and have taught us a lot about life's 00:27:54.679 --> 00:27:55.789 building 00:27:55.799 --> 00:27:58.750 blocks but they feel incomplete 00:27:58.760 --> 00:28:00.669 like trying to assemble Ikea furniture 00:28:00.679 --> 00:28:03.190 with no instructions and maybe a few 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:05.870 missing screws and those unanswered 00:28:05.880 --> 00:28:08.710 questions they're not just gaps they're 00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:11.190 massive gaping holes you could drive a 00:28:11.200 --> 00:28:14.220 spaceship 00:28:14.230 --> 00:28:20.310 [Music] 00:28:20.320 --> 00:28:22.750 through let's talk about the Cambrian 00:28:22.760 --> 00:28:24.950 explosion it's one of those moments in 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:26.630 Earth's history that makes you stop and 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:29.110 go wait what 00:28:29.120 --> 00:28:32.630 about 540 million years ago life on 00:28:32.640 --> 00:28:35.190 Earth went through a glow up that was 00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:38.350 nothing short of insane before this it 00:28:38.360 --> 00:28:40.750 was all pretty simple single- celled 00:28:40.760 --> 00:28:44.149 organisms clusters of microbes in a few 00:28:44.159 --> 00:28:46.430 multicellular Critters just floating 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:48.830 around taking their sweet time evolving 00:28:48.840 --> 00:28:52.269 and then bam out of nowhere the planet 00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:54.590 suddenly gets a VIP pass to Evolution's 00:28:54.600 --> 00:28:57.190 greatest hits in which basically the 00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:00.310 blink of a GE ological eye complex 00:29:00.320 --> 00:29:03.549 organisms crash the party we're talking 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:07.389 eyes limbs nervous systems shells the 00:29:07.399 --> 00:29:09.710 whole package it's like nature was 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:12.110 running on dialup for billions of years 00:29:12.120 --> 00:29:15.669 and suddenly upgraded to highspeed fiber 00:29:15.679 --> 00:29:18.230 Evolution's slow crawl turned into a 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:21.710 full-on Sprint it's not just impressive 00:29:21.720 --> 00:29:23.310 it's downright 00:29:23.320 --> 00:29:26.950 suspicious take trilobites for example 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:29.110 these guys had segment Ed bodies and 00:29:29.120 --> 00:29:31.230 compound eyes that look like something 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:34.269 out of an alien invasion flick and then 00:29:34.279 --> 00:29:38.029 there's henia a creature so bizarre it 00:29:38.039 --> 00:29:39.870 looks like it wandered out of a Tim 00:29:39.880 --> 00:29:42.430 Burton fever dream with spikes on its 00:29:42.440 --> 00:29:45.029 back and tentacle legs these weren't 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:47.029 gradual steps forward it's like they 00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:50.509 showed up fully assembled fossils reveal 00:29:50.519 --> 00:29:52.630 this explosion of diversity but they 00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:55.750 don't explain how or why it happened so 00:29:55.760 --> 00:29:58.470 fast oh sure let's just cas usually call 00:29:58.480 --> 00:30:01.509 it an explosion like that makes it less 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:04.269 suspicious think about it billions of 00:30:04.279 --> 00:30:06.269 years of single celled 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:08.909 snoozefest and suddenly the planet's 00:30:08.919 --> 00:30:10.430 hosting a biological Rave with 00:30:10.440 --> 00:30:13.070 trilobites rocking compound eyes and 00:30:13.080 --> 00:30:15.509 hucog Genia strutting around like some 00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:19.230 sci-fi movie and mainstream science 00:30:19.240 --> 00:30:20.950 wants us to believe this was just a 00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:25.350 natural progression please evolution is 00:30:25.360 --> 00:30:28.029 supposed to be a slow grind not a 00:30:28.039 --> 00:30:29.549 fastforward 00:30:29.559 --> 00:30:32.590 Montage what did nature get impatient 00:30:32.600 --> 00:30:35.350 and hit the skip intro button and while 00:30:35.360 --> 00:30:37.630 we're at it where are the failed 00:30:37.640 --> 00:30:40.870 prototypes huh if Evolution's 00:30:40.880 --> 00:30:43.950 experimenting why do we only find these 00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:46.789 fully formed blueprints seems more like 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:48.509 someone installed the premium 00:30:48.519 --> 00:30:51.149 downloadable content of life rather than 00:30:51.159 --> 00:30:53.230 letting the base game play 00:30:53.240 --> 00:30:56.269 out now mainstream science has thrown 00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:58.590 out a few theories but none of them feel 00:30:58.600 --> 00:31:01.789 like a slam dunk one idea is that Rising 00:31:01.799 --> 00:31:03.710 oxygen levels created the perfect 00:31:03.720 --> 00:31:06.990 environment for life to thrive Oxygen's 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:09.070 definitely important try living without 00:31:09.080 --> 00:31:11.230 it but it doesn't explain how genetic 00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:14.070 blueprints for eyes exoskeletons or 00:31:14.080 --> 00:31:18.509 entirely new body plans just poofed into 00:31:18.519 --> 00:31:21.029 existence another theory blames it on 00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:24.870 mutations or DNA duplications basically 00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:27.629 Nature's Way of shaking things up but 00:31:27.639 --> 00:31:29.310 why would would those changes suddenly 00:31:29.320 --> 00:31:31.909 happen so fast and on such a massive 00:31:31.919 --> 00:31:34.509 scale evolution is supposed to take its 00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:37.110 time but the Cambrian explosion makes it 00:31:37.120 --> 00:31:39.710 look like it was in a hurry to meet a 00:31:39.720 --> 00:31:42.310 deadline then there's the Predator prey 00:31:42.320 --> 00:31:45.710 arms race Theory this one argues that as 00:31:45.720 --> 00:31:48.909 Predators showed up prey species had to 00:31:48.919 --> 00:31:51.230 step up their game evolving shells 00:31:51.240 --> 00:31:54.590 defenses and new survival tactics but 00:31:54.600 --> 00:31:56.830 again this doesn't explain the sudden 00:31:56.840 --> 00:31:59.870 arrival of entire new body plans that no 00:31:59.880 --> 00:32:01.149 one had seen 00:32:01.159 --> 00:32:03.629 before it's like nature went from sticks 00:32:03.639 --> 00:32:06.750 and stones to 3D printed titanium in a 00:32:06.760 --> 00:32:09.430 heartbeat the Cambrian explosion isn't 00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:11.389 just a head scratcher for 00:32:11.399 --> 00:32:14.710 paleontologists it's a full-on migraine 00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:17.909 it's a big glaring wait what in the 00:32:17.919 --> 00:32:21.149 story of life on Earth it's supposed to 00:32:21.159 --> 00:32:23.430 follow a slow and steady evolutionary 00:32:23.440 --> 00:32:27.430 path but this event flipped that script 00:32:27.440 --> 00:32:29.669 Main extreme science recognizes the 00:32:29.679 --> 00:32:32.230 explosion happened but no one's nailed 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:34.310 down a theory that actually 00:32:34.320 --> 00:32:37.029 fits but what if there's another 00:32:37.039 --> 00:32:39.590 explanation one that ties all these 00:32:39.600 --> 00:32:42.269 loose ends together the rapid 00:32:42.279 --> 00:32:44.389 diversification the improbability of 00:32:44.399 --> 00:32:45.590 Life forming 00:32:45.600 --> 00:32:47.830 spontaneously in all the missing 00:32:47.840 --> 00:32:49.950 ingredients that other theories can't 00:32:49.960 --> 00:32:53.310 account for enter 00:32:53.320 --> 00:32:55.909 panspermia yeah it's bold it's 00:32:55.919 --> 00:32:58.389 controversial even and it just might be 00:32:58.399 --> 00:33:00.110 the answer to questions that have 00:33:00.120 --> 00:33:03.149 stumped scientists for centuries what if 00:33:03.159 --> 00:33:05.909 life didn't start here on Earth what if 00:33:05.919 --> 00:33:08.830 it came from somewhere else imagine 00:33:08.840 --> 00:33:11.669 microbes hitching rides on meteorites 00:33:11.679 --> 00:33:14.190 surviving the harshness of space and 00:33:14.200 --> 00:33:17.310 crash landing here like tiny alien 00:33:17.320 --> 00:33:20.350 Pioneers or take it a step further what 00:33:20.360 --> 00:33:21.950 if an advanced extraterrestrial 00:33:21.960 --> 00:33:24.230 civilization deliberately seated life 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:27.990 here playing Cosmic Garder and here the 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:30.549 real twist what if the Cambrian 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:32.149 explosion isn't just a quirky 00:33:32.159 --> 00:33:34.870 evolutionary mystery what if its 00:33:34.880 --> 00:33:37.750 evidence actual Fingerprints of an 00:33:37.760 --> 00:33:39.950 intervention what if life didn't just 00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:42.029 adapt to Earth's conditions but was 00:33:42.039 --> 00:33:46.029 designed to thrive here the next step 00:33:46.039 --> 00:33:48.909 diving head first into panspermia to see 00:33:48.919 --> 00:33:51.549 how this wild idea could completely 00:33:51.559 --> 00:33:53.789 reshape everything we think we know 00:33:53.799 --> 00:33:56.430 about where we come from because let's 00:33:56.440 --> 00:33:58.990 face it the most extraordinary Mysteries 00:33:59.000 --> 00:34:02.020 deserve the most extraordinary 00:34:02.030 --> 00:34:07.109 [Music] 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:09.710 explanations so what do we make of all 00:34:09.720 --> 00:34:12.589 this we've dived into the theories we've 00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:14.389 poked holes in the Big Ideas that 00:34:14.399 --> 00:34:16.829 science has handed Us in uncovered 00:34:16.839 --> 00:34:18.710 Mysteries that make the origin of Life 00:34:18.720 --> 00:34:21.270 feel less like a solved puzzle and more 00:34:21.280 --> 00:34:23.510 like a rubic's cube missing half its 00:34:23.520 --> 00:34:26.270 stickers from primordial soup to deep 00:34:26.280 --> 00:34:29.149 sea vents these theories are fascinating 00:34:29.159 --> 00:34:31.430 no doubt but none of them wrap 00:34:31.440 --> 00:34:33.950 everything up in a neat little bowl too 00:34:33.960 --> 00:34:37.149 many gaps too many question marks and 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:40.069 you know what that's okay because the 00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:42.349 magic of Science and Discovery isn't 00:34:42.359 --> 00:34:43.990 about knowing everything right off the 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:47.149 bat it's about the thrill of the chase 00:34:47.159 --> 00:34:49.909 take the Cambrian explosion for example 00:34:49.919 --> 00:34:51.710 it doesn't just mess with our tidy 00:34:51.720 --> 00:34:53.950 little narratives about Evolution it's 00:34:53.960 --> 00:34:56.669 practically yelling dig deeper there's 00:34:56.679 --> 00:34:58.470 more to this 00:34:58.480 --> 00:35:00.430 how did life go from a slow crawl to a 00:35:00.440 --> 00:35:02.950 full-blown Rock concert of evolution 00:35:02.960 --> 00:35:05.790 practically overnight geologically 00:35:05.800 --> 00:35:08.270 speaking maybe there's more Happening 00:35:08.280 --> 00:35:11.230 Here than we've dared to admit the 00:35:11.240 --> 00:35:13.870 questions you ask now are the same ones 00:35:13.880 --> 00:35:16.470 we asked ourselves long before your 00:35:16.480 --> 00:35:19.790 world cooled and calmed the search for 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:23.030 Origins is never simple but it's 00:35:23.040 --> 00:35:26.270 necessary you're on the right path even 00:35:26.280 --> 00:35:28.390 if it feels uncertain 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:32.190 keep looking keep asking what you seek 00:35:32.200 --> 00:35:34.670 isn't beyond your reach it's already 00:35:34.680 --> 00:35:36.630 waiting for you to uncover 00:35:36.640 --> 00:35:39.750 it those unanswered questions they're 00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:42.750 not failures of science they are what 00:35:42.760 --> 00:35:45.630 keeps us curious keep us reaching for 00:35:45.640 --> 00:35:48.069 the Stars digging through ancient 00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:50.750 fossils and squinting at tiny microbes 00:35:50.760 --> 00:35:51.670 under 00:35:51.680 --> 00:35:54.550 microscopes and maybe the gaps in these 00:35:54.560 --> 00:35:56.349 theories aren't meant to be filled with 00:35:56.359 --> 00:35:58.190 what we already know 00:35:58.200 --> 00:36:00.710 maybe they need something bigger more 00:36:00.720 --> 00:36:04.309 mindblowing more Cosmic that's where 00:36:04.319 --> 00:36:06.750 things get really interesting what if 00:36:06.760 --> 00:36:08.950 life didn't start here at all what if it 00:36:08.960 --> 00:36:11.270 hitched a ride across space on comets or 00:36:11.280 --> 00:36:14.430 meteorites or brace yourself what if it 00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:16.510 was sent here on purpose by 00:36:16.520 --> 00:36:19.790 civilizations way ahead of us yeah like 00:36:19.800 --> 00:36:21.710 sci-fi but with 00:36:21.720 --> 00:36:25.190 science the theory of pens peria is bold 00:36:25.200 --> 00:36:27.230 it's wild and it might just be the 00:36:27.240 --> 00:36:29.990 missing piece we've been looking for so 00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:32.870 take a moment let it all sink in and get 00:36:32.880 --> 00:36:36.109 ready for what's coming next in part two 00:36:36.119 --> 00:36:38.069 we're diving head first into the idea 00:36:38.079 --> 00:36:40.150 that life on Earth might not be as 00:36:40.160 --> 00:36:41.990 homegrown as we think we're just 00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:43.630 scratching the surface of the biggest 00:36:43.640 --> 00:36:46.470 wait what mystery out there the origin 00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:49.710 of life itself and trust me you're not 00:36:49.720 --> 00:36:52.190 going to want to miss what's next grab a 00:36:52.200 --> 00:36:58.670 drink settle in and let's keep exploring 00:36:58.680 --> 00:37:00.390 thanks for sticking around and taking 00:37:00.400 --> 00:37:03.150 this wild ride with me today I'm Ralph 00:37:03.160 --> 00:37:05.790 that's Wendell yeah the sarcastic one 00:37:05.800 --> 00:37:07.349 and you've just wrapped up another 00:37:07.359 --> 00:37:10.390 fascinating Adventure on Divergent files 00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:12.589 if you laughed learned or just didn't 00:37:12.599 --> 00:37:14.950 hate it do me a favor hit like And 00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:16.990 subscribe and tap all the buttons that 00:37:17.000 --> 00:37:19.470 make the algorithm Gods happy I know 00:37:19.480 --> 00:37:21.390 you're sick of hearing this but it 00:37:21.400 --> 00:37:22.950 really does make a difference for small 00:37:22.960 --> 00:37:25.990 channels like mine here's the thing 00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:28.190 you're not just the audience 00:37:28.200 --> 00:37:29.950 you're the secret sauce that makes this 00:37:29.960 --> 00:37:33.030 channel what it is your curiosity and 00:37:33.040 --> 00:37:36.430 your wild theories fuel everything we do 00:37:36.440 --> 00:37:38.510 so do you have a topic you'd like for us 00:37:38.520 --> 00:37:41.230 to tackle next drop them Below in the 00:37:41.240 --> 00:37:42.710 comments because I actually read them 00:37:42.720 --> 00:37:45.510 all and who knows your idea might just 00:37:45.520 --> 00:37:48.950 Inspire the next video also please 00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:50.470 consider going the extra mile and 00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:53.470 joining the Divergent file crew over on 00:37:53.480 --> 00:37:55.990 patreon for as little as three bucks a 00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:58.030 month you'll get some pretty pretty cool 00:37:58.040 --> 00:38:00.309 exclusive perks and let's be honest 00:38:00.319 --> 00:38:02.030 you'll also be helping us keep this 00:38:02.040 --> 00:38:04.950 channel going finally here's what I want 00:38:04.960 --> 00:38:07.630 you to remember this channel isn't just 00:38:07.640 --> 00:38:10.150 about making content it's about digging 00:38:10.160 --> 00:38:12.790 in stories they'd rather keep buried and 00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:14.670 asking the questions no one else wants 00:38:14.680 --> 00:38:17.349 to touch you are the core of this 00:38:17.359 --> 00:38:20.030 journey your curiosity keeps this engine 00:38:20.040 --> 00:38:22.990 running and I can't wait to explore the 00:38:23.000 --> 00:38:26.630 next topic with you until next time stay 00:38:26.640 --> 00:38:29.430 curious stay time and remember you are 00:38:29.440 --> 00:38:32.920 truly appreciated 00:38:32.930 --> 00:38:37.000 [Music]