[p2p-research] Is There a Massive Deep Bioshpere That Preceded Life on Earth's Surface? Wor...

[Ryan]

Is "fossil fuel" bad science?

Sent to you by Ryan via Google Reader: Is There a Massive Deep
Bioshpere That Preceded Life on Earth's Surface? World's Leading Expert
Says "Yes" via The Daily Galaxy: Great Discoveries Channel by Casey
Kazan Daily Galaxy Editorial Staff on 9/24/09


"No scientific subject holds more surprises for us than biology."
Freeman Dyson -Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton


Cornell University Professor Emeritus Thomas Gold, who for 20 years
directed the Cornell Center for Radiophysics and Space Research,
proposes the striking and controversial theory that "a full functioning
ecosystem feeding on hydrocarbons, exists deep within the earth, and
that a primordial source of hydrocarbons lies even deeper." Gold
believes that the microbes predate all of the planet's other life
forms, existing even before photosynthesis became the preferred
life-giving form.



Gold, a world-renowned physicist and author of The Deep Hot : The Myth
of Fossil Fuels, belives that oil and natural gas hydrocarbons are not
biological in origin and are found not only in the shallow crust of the
earth but also at greater depths. He maintains that hydrocarbons,
especially methane, were an important constituent of the earth when it
was formed and are widely distributed in depth. These deep hydrocarbon
deposits continuously replenish the shallower deposits.

If Gold's controversial theory is true, then even the term "fossil
fuels" would have to be dropped. Gold contends that petroleum is
promordial and currently supports biological activity in the Earth and
is not the converted remains of ancient life after a few million years
of decomposition. In addition, these theories explain the presence of
compostion of mineral enriched earth and a few other mysteries such as
the presence of helium which has been so far unexplained by
conventional ideas.

As Gold points out, so far no one has ever been able to come up with
the chemical reactions needed to form petroleum from decaying organic
matter.

Analysis of thermal vents in the deep ocean and cold petroleum seepages
on the shallower ocean floor has revealed forms of bacteria that rely
on hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane, for food. These bacteria,
of the Archaea domain, thrive at temperatures as high as 100-150
degrees C and do not depend on photosynthesis. The genomes of Archaea
suggest they developed very early in the evolution of life. Gold
concluded that Archaea probably developed deep underground, rather than
on or near the surface, reflecting his choice of the book's title. In
consuming methane, the Archaea produced carbon dioxide and water which
also migrated to the surface and were added to the atmosphere. Water in
the liquid state became more plentiful.


Most scientists think the oil we drill for comes from decomposed
prehistoric plants. Gold believes it has been there since the earth's
formation, that it supports its own ecosystem far underground and that
life there preceded life on the earth's surface.

The "deep hot " hypothesis would explain the thermophiles, the minerals
and the oil Swedish drillers found in 1990 under rock where no one
expected them. The hot goo and massed gas far under our feet would also
explain some mysterious historical earthquakes (notably the New Madrid,
Mo., shocker of 1811), and it would tell puzzled geologists why so many
oil reserves just happen to sit underneath coal fields.

If Gold is correct, the planet's oil reserves are far larger than
status quo policymakers expect, and earthquake-prediction procedures
require a shakeup; moreover, astronomers seraching for extraterrestrial
contacts might want to shift from seeking life on other planets and
inquire about life deep inside them.

Posted by Casey Kazan.

Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to The Daily Galaxy: Great Discoveries Channel using Google
Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your
favorite sites
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listcultures.org/pipermail/p2presearch_listcultures.org/attachments/20090925/fa1b1db9/attachment-0001.html>