Did Alien Spores Begin Life Underground?

Paul Davies is among those who believe that, rather than starting in the oceans, life may have begun deep underground near volcano vents. [3] In this way it would be shielded from extreme radiation, harsh temperature changes, and toxic atmospheres.

One example he presents: Life started on Mars and then hitched a ride to Earth, a form of undirected panspermia.

Tons of microbes thrive deep underground in the modern world.

If we assume that an advanced civilization engineered the magnificence of the genetic code and applied it to create colonizing microbes, then the early cosmonauts would include divisions for seeding more life on land or sea, or deep underground. In any event, life would eventually penetrate into the oceans and on the land surface.

A shotgun seeding at regular or random intervals would become a viable strategy to spread their genes and eventually harvest a planet full of robust biology.

Scott Campbell

[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15507-2

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/giant-virus

[3] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3184/003685001783239069