2022-03-30 15:00  P5A-1/Online

[Journal Club] Cosmic muons as the missing link between the (a)symmetry of DNA and the emergence of life

Anatoli Fedynitch

Atmospheric muons as the dominant source of cosmic radiation at the surface may have played an important role in the origin of life on Earth and other bodies of the solar system. Contrary to electromagnetic radiation, atmospheric muons carry polarization down to shallow underground depths. A novel idea initially developed by Noemie Globus and Roger Blandford proposes that the interaction of muon polarization with prototype molecules of the DNA has resulted in the development of homochiralization - i.e. the building blocks DNA of exclusively single handedness. In this talk, I will summarize our findings about why muons are specific and which implications can be drawn towards searches for extraterrestrial life in the solar system.

arXiv:1911.02525 [physics.bio-ph], arXiv:2101.00530 [astro-ph.EP]