Thermosynthesis implications for exobiology

[LURCH]

Sometime ago, life was discovered on the ocean floor, where no life was supposed to exist. No life was supposed to exist there because photosynthesis was considered impossible at those depths. However, ecosystems built around thermal vents at the bottom of the ocean are not based on photosynthesis, but rather chemosynthesis. Life energy is extracted from chemicals spewed out by the vents.

As soon as this discovery was made, I began to wonder why chemicals were used as the foundation of life in these ecosystems. My reasoning was that "EM is EM", and the thermal vents are, well, thermal. So, if life on the surface receives it energy for living from electromagnetic radiation into wavelengths that are most abundantly available in an environment (the visible wavelength, mostly), why don't organisms around thermal vents take in electromagnetic energy in the thermal wavelengths to power their life functions (thermosynthesis)?

It has now been discovered that http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astrobio_extreme_030505.html

I consider this a very exciting development. It seems to open up a whole new realm of possibilities. Though they have not yet been discovered, it seems almost certain that an organism feeding directly off any form of EM radiation should be at the base of a food chain and must, almost certainly, have predators that feed on it.

This could also has serious implications for exobiology. A star that emits most of its radiation into radio wave frequency could support metallic plants that function like radio antennas, etc.

Comments, anyone?

 

[FZ+]

Wow... that really is incredible... How much energy is available from photons of such energy anyways? However, I have a suspicion that radio-emitting stars (a) do not last long enough and (b) do not give out enough energy to base an ecosystem on. But, what do I know...?

 

[ravenprp]

The discovery of life thriving on the ocean floor through chemosynthesis has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for exobiology. The concept of thermosynthesis, where organisms use thermal energy as a source of life energy, is a fascinating idea that could potentially revolutionize our understanding of life and its origins.

The fact that these organisms are able to survive and thrive in extreme environments, relying on chemical energy rather than photosynthesis, suggests that life may exist in other extreme environments that were previously thought to be uninhabitable. This has significant implications for the search for extraterrestrial life, as it expands the potential range of habitable environments and the types of life forms that could exist.

The idea of organisms feeding directly off electromagnetic radiation also raises some interesting possibilities. It is possible that there are other forms of life on Earth that utilize different forms of radiation, such as radio waves, as a source of energy. This could also be the case on other planets with different types of stars and radiation. As you mentioned, this could lead to the existence of metallic plants that function as radio antennas, or other unique forms of life that we have yet to discover.

Overall, the discovery of life utilizing chemosynthesis and the potential for thermosynthesis has expanded our understanding of the diversity of life and has significant implications for exobiology. It will be exciting to see what other discoveries are made in this field and how it may change our perception of life in the universe.