Abstract
The success of recent spacecraft from the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. has given us a wealth of new data about the planets in our solar system. We can now develop a much better rationale for the reasons that abundant life is only found on our planet. Mars, smaller and more distant from the Sun, may nevertheless hold clues to the early development of Earth's atmosphere. The origin of life on Mars early in that planet's history cannot be ruled out. Titan offers a contemporary example of extremely primitive conditions, where chemical reactions resembling those that preceded the development of life on Earth may be occurring today. Venus and Jupiter illustrate the need for a planet to be the right size and the right distance from the sun if chemical evolution leading to the origin of life is to occur.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Owen, T. Life as a planetary phenomenon. Origins Life Evol Biosphere 15, 221–234 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01808170
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01808170