Question at position 15 A Martian probe brings back a soil sample that contains stretches of DNA that are similar to life on Earth. This evidence would support which hypothesis? Panspermia"RNA world"Not enough informationAbiogenesisClear my selection

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Question: A Martian probe brings back a soil sample that contains stretches of DNA that are similar to life on Earth. This evidence would support which hypothesis?
Options: ["Panspermia", "\"RNA world\"", "Not enough information", "Abiogenesis"]

Option 1: Panspermia. This hypothesis proposes that life or its precursors can be transported between worlds, potentially seeding life on another planet. Finding Earth-like DNA in Martian soil would be consistent with the idea that biological material originating elsewhere reached Earth, or that life with Earth-like chemistry could have been delivered to Mars and left remnants. It directly aligns with the notion of a transfer of life between planets.

Option 2: "RNA world". The RNA world hypothesis posits that early life relied on RNA as both genetic material and catalyst before DNA-based life. Merely finding DNA similar to Earth life does not specifically indicate an RNA-based early stage; it speaks to contemporary or Earth-like DNA, which is not the defining evidence for an RNA world scenario.

Option 3: Not enough information. While some caution is reasonable in interpreting extraterrestrial samples, the specific discovery of Earth-like DNA sequences in Martian material provides a strong lead toward a hypothesis about interplanetary transfer or shared biochemistry. This option would ignore the informative signal present in the DNA similarity.

Option 4: Abiogenesis. Abiogenesis refers to the origin of life from non-living matter on a given world. Detecting Earth-like DNA in Martian soil does not directly explain the origin mechanism on Mars itself; it suggests possible interplanetary transfer or shared ancestry, which is more aligned with panspermia than abiogenesis.

In summary, among the choices, Panspermia best accounts for the implication that Earth-like genetic material in Martian material points to interplanetary transfer or shared extraterrestrial origin, whereas the other hypotheses describe internal origins (RNA world, abiogenesis) or require more cautious interpretation (not enough information) that doesn’t fit as well with the specific DNA similarity observed.

Question at position 15 A Martian probe brings back a soil sample that contains stretches of DNA that are similar to life on Earth. This evidence would support which hypothesis? Panspermia"RNA world"Not enough informationAbiogenesisClear my selection

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