Geologists say that the planet earth formed about 4.5-4.6 billion years ago. Geo-chemists recently analyzed a piece of Zirconium, almost as old, inside a hard rock in hilly western Australia. Zirconium is a crystal. During the formation it accumulates less on more Titanium atoms based on the temperature. Geochemists Watson and Thomson are almost certain, based on the levels of Titanium, that this particular crystal formed at temperatures around 680 degrees Celsius. Scientists also know that these crystals form in the presence of water. This discovery is exciting because it hints at surface water being there on earth right from the beginning!

All scientists agree that the presence of water is a good sign of life. Prior to this discovery life on planet earth  is understood to have formed some 3.5 billion years ago. Cyanobacteria are considered to be one of the earliest life forms on earth. The creation of life on earth has so far been thought to be associated with the arrival of asteroids carrying huge quantities of water. The discovery of a tiny crystal is now challenging scientists. Astronomers constantly look for signs of water on exo-planets to see if there is life elsewhere in the universe.”life will find a way” is an axiom that is attested to by the fact that we see life coming up in the most inhospitable spots on planet earth in the presence of water.

This brings up two questions –  did life not arrive hitch-hiking on asteriods? If life formed on planet earth, is there some intelligence in cosmos, some DNA kind of information, that triggers the formation of life forms when the surroundings are conducive and the time is right? With surface water and the presence of sun light, this inherent intelligence could have been triggered as part of the formation of the planet itself. Where does such an intelligence reside then. It gives every individual a chance to ponder what aspects of our intelligence has been beyond our human history, a part of a continuum from 4.5 billion years ago!