The same object that is said to have wiped out life throughout history may also have been the one event that brought life to this planet. Of course, that has been a theory for quite some time now. I used to hear about it back in the 90s. When I was a kid, my ma used to threaten me when she couldn't handle me with "I brought you into this world, and I'll take you out!" This theory brings a whole new meaning to that phrase. This article I found this morning believes that an asteroid is responsible for bringing life to Earth. That would mean that we are not originally earthlings. Also that there must be other forms of life out there living their lives on another planet. Maybe more advanced than we are? Who knows?
What could these other forms look like? Could they be creatures with 9 legs and tentacles growing out of their head? Are 9 legs possible in any life form anywhere? I guess that would depend on it's surroundings. The reason we retained the formula of having 4 limbs, a head and tail, is because it works for us. Insects have 6 legs, and arthropods have 8. But their bodies are also close to the ground and the legs are splayed out in a crouched position. Plus most insects have wings and can fly. Most creatures with more than 4 limbs are very close to the ground. I think it's gravity though that plays a role in that.
This is why I believe land-based walking squids would be impossible. They may inherit niches left by fish and take over the waters of the world. But it's unlikely they will walk on land. And even less likely they will swing through trees like monkeys or apes. If they do, they would have to take on a completely different body form. A form where they would not even remotely resemble squids
Anyway, here's the article
New geological research suggests that a gigantic asteroid impact over 3 billion years ago, despite creating extreme conditions on our planet, may have created a conducive environment for the flourishing of early bacterial life forms.
Harvard University scientists, led by geologist Nadja Drabon, analyzed rocks from the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa to reconstruct events from 3.26 billion years ago. Geological evidence points to an asteroid impact known as S2, estimated to be up to 200 times larger than the object that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The first traces of bacterial life on Earth didn't last long
Despite these drastic changes, bacterial life not only survived but quickly rebounded. According to Drabon's team analysis, there was a rapid increase in populations of unicellular organisms utilizing iron and phosphorus. Iron was likely moved from the ocean depths to shallower areas, while phosphorus came from both the meteorite and increased land erosion.
"We think of impacts as catastrophic for life. But this research shows that they also provided benefits to life, and particularly in the early stages, they could actually allow it to thrive," believes Drabon, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency.
This short-term shift of the ecosystem towards iron-using bacteria is an important element in understanding the beginnings of life on our planet.
Research conducted in the Barberton Greenstone Belt on the eastern edge of the Kaapvaal craton—considered to be the Earth's original crust from 3.5 to 2.5 billion years ago—revealed evidence of at least eight similar meteorite impacts. The results were published in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," and scientists plan to continue their work to further explore the impact of these ancient events on the evolution of life on Earth.
