Scientist Suggests That 3I/ATLAS May Have Seeded Life as It Careened Through Our Solar System

Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb suggested interstellar object 3I/ATLAS may have delivered or released life-related material as it passed through the Solar System.

He raised the possibility of natural panspermia or even directed panspermia, reviving debate about how life may spread between worlds.

Loeb said future missions should sample similar interstellar objects to test whether they carry material linked to extrasolar life.

The idea underscores growing interest in interstellar objects as possible carriers of biological building blocks.