How to Identify a Dark Matter Lifeform
Exploring Dark Astrobiology — Implications of Self-Interacting Dark Plasma
We will need to follow where the evidence and logic takes us. Science is increasingly embracing the possibility of dark matter being much richer and interesting than we initially thought. We will inevitably need to extend the Darwinian tree of life into the dark sector.
If one variety of dark matter can clump together, it could form a panoply of previously unimagined dark structures. It could ball up into dark stars surrounded by dark planets made of dark atoms. In the most extravagant leap of possibility, this new kind of dark matter might even allow the existence of dark life.
Lisa Randall, 2015
So, we can imagine much more than a single species of dark matter; what if you had two different types of stable particles that carried dark charge? Then we would be able to make dark atoms and could start writing papers on dark chemistry. You know that dark biology is not far behind.
Sean Carroll, 2008
Sean and his colleagues have proposed that it is only a matter of time before we start talking about dark biology, which implies dark matter lifeforms. The Caltech team, and other research teams, had also proposed that dark matter could be in the form of dark plasma (a similar proposal was made by this author earlier in 2005). If so, the dark biology that Sean is proposing, would more likely be in the domain of dark plasma lifeforms.
To understand how dark plasma lifeforms could have evolved in the dark sector, let us first review experiments on ordinary matter plasma that have generated “plasma cells” which display the attributes of primitive organisms. These ordinary matter plasma lifeforms could provide us a model to base our theories on how dark plasma lifeforms may have grown out of an incremental evolutionary process.
Plasma “Lifeforms” Created in the Laboratory
In a paper written in 2007, Lozneanu and his colleagues have generated these ordinary matter “plasma cells” in the laboratory. These cells emerge spontaneously when an electrical spark generates a well-located non-equilibrium plasma on the surface of a positively biased electrode within a cold plasma which contains free electrons and atoms in ground, excited and ionized states. The plasma evolves into a stable self-confined luminous, nearly spherical body, attached to the anode.
Measurements using electrical probes reveal a positive nucleus surrounded by a nearly spherical boundary or electrical double layer or a plasma sheath (analogous to a biological cell membrane) . Within the sheath are adjacent space charge layers of opposite charge where electrostatic interactions take place in an electric field, much like within a capacitor.
Lozneanu argues that, similar to biological cells, the electrical boundary of these self-assembled gaseous plasma cells provides an enclosed internal environment that differs from the external environment. The boundary is able to sustain and control operations such as: (i) the acquisition and transformation of energy, (ii) rhythmic exchange of matter across the system boundary and (iii) continual internal transformations of matter.
At a critical value of the anode potential, the cell detaches from the anode surface and escapes into a free-floating independent state. After its emergence, the cell is able to replicate, by division, and to emit and receive information. Lozneanu believes that the plasma cell “is potentially able to perform a further biochemical evolution into a ‘living’ cell”.
Gregoire Nicolis, a physical chemist at the University of Brussels, disagrees. He says that view is “stretching the realms of possibility,” says. In particular, he doubts that biomolecules such as DNA could emerge at the temperatures at which the plasma balls exist. But perhaps, that was because Gregoire was imagining carbon-based molecular DNA within a plasma cell. Could there be plasma-based DNA structures?
Plasma DNA
In 2007, using numerical simulations, V N Tsytovich and his colleagues of the Russian Academy of Science showed that particles in plasma can undergo self-organization as electric charges become separated and the plasma becomes polarized. “These complex, self-organized plasma structures exhibit all the necessary properties to qualify them as candidates for inorganic living matter”, says Tsytovich, “they are autonomous, they reproduce, and they evolve”.
Complex plasmas may naturally self-organize themselves into stable interacting helical structures that exhibit features normally attributed to organic living matter.
Tsytovich et al, 2007, New Journal of Physics
Furthermore, Tsytovich and his colleagues have shown that ordinary matter complex plasmas naturally self-organize themselves into stable interacting helical structures that behave like DNA in organic living matter. These structures incorporate “memory marks” allowing for self-duplication, carry out metabolic activities in a thermodynamically open system and exhibit non-Hamiltonian dynamics. Tsytovich concludes that these complex self-organized plasma structures possess all the necessary properties to qualify them as candidates for primitive inorganic living matter that may exist in partially ionized plasma in space provided certain conditions allow them to evolve naturally.
Another research team, Uehara and his colleagues, have suggested that plasma physics should be considered a part of biological investigation.
Plasma physics can be useful in the investigation of the physical properties of living cells. Concepts like charge neutrality, Debye length, and double layer are very useful to explain the electrical properties of a cellular membrane.
Uehara et al, 2000
Plasma exhibits a cellular structure as plasma of different densities and temperatures are naturally cordoned-off by electrical double-layers. This provides the closure necessary for minimal plasma cell systems to form.
These experiments on ordinary matter plasma show that there is a possibility that if dark matter is in the form of plasma, as suggested by several research teams (see the author’s article Is Dark Matter a Complex Plasma?), it would be reasonable to imagine that dark plasma lifeforms could follow a similar evolutionary process and exhibit similar features as those found in electric plasma that have been generated in the laboratory and abound in space. Would we be able to identify these dark plasma lifeforms if they exist?
Detecting a Dark Plasma Lifeform
All mammals have generic features such as hearts, lungs, and other body parts. Similarly, we would expect dark plasma lifeforms to have generic features. Our best guess would be that dark plasma lifeforms have signature features of (ordinary matter) plasma bodies in the laboratory and in space, within the relevant body structures. In this article, we will use a humanoid DM (dark matter) lifeform template for illustrative purposes. We would expect the features discussed below in dark plasma lifeforms.
CELL BODY with CONCENTRIC SHELLS shielded by SHEATHS
The lifeform would be expected to have a spherical or ovoid cell body as evidence in the experiments discussed above. Within their bodies, there will be separation of plasma with different attributes (e.g. temperatures and densities) into cells with electrical double layers or sheaths (analogous to a biological cell membrane) around them. These sheaths will allow concentric shells to form within the ovoid body, separating plasma with different characteristics.
The image below shows concentric shells within a cell, captured in a laboratory, separated by double layers or sheaths. On the extreme left, stationary plasma structure composed of six different plasma shells in the laboratory (credit: L. Conde and L. Leon). On the extreme right concentric shells are superimposed over a human body template for illustrative purposes.
FILAMENTS
Filaments in electric plasma are where currents flow. On the left you see a plasma ball in the laboratory. On the right you see how this will look if it was superimposed on a human body template.
HELICAL CURRENTS
As noted by Tsytovich (discussed above), there are helical structures that resemble DNA. These are combinations of 2 filaments in a double-helical structure. It is a common feature in both laboratory and space plasmas. A dark matter lifeform would exhibit such a feature, as illustrated below, using a human body as a template for illustration purposes. On the left, you see helical currents in the laboratory. On the right, you see a helical current superimposed on a human body template.
VORTEXES
Vortexes are common in laboratory plasma, and would be situated where filaments “pinch’’ other filaments when they cross each other. On the left, you see plasma vortexes generated in the laboratory. On the right, you see these superimposed on a human body template.
PLASMOIDS
Plasmoids (or bright points of intense light) that form inside these vortexes. It will not be surprising if these vortexes issue collimated beams of dark light through plasma lenses. (Plasma has excellent light refracting and reflecting properties and therefore can act as lenses.)
CORONAS, SPICULES, STRIATIONS, GRANUALTION
In addition, there will be surface features, typical of plasma bodies (such as the Sun and other stars) such as coronas, spicules, striations and granulations, as shown below — and superimposed on a human body on the left for illustrative purposes.
We would expect dark electromagnetic fields to emanate from these DM lifeforms. Furthermore, these and other properties of plasma will allow these lifeforms to to receive and transmit information ‘wirelessly’ — acting effectively as plasma antennae.
Conclusion
If dark plasma lifeforms are possible, it would logically mean that they would probably be the most common lifeforms in the universe, much more common than carbon-based lifeforms, due to the prevalence of dark matter, which is 5 to 6 times more abundant than ordinary matter.
References
Creation of Minimal Plasma Cell Systems by Self-Organization in Earth’s Dark Biosphere leading to the Evolution of Dark Plasma Life Forms, Scientific Journals International — Journal of Unconventional Theories and Research, Jay Alfred, March 17, 2009,
Minimal-cell system created in laboratory by self-organization, Chaos Solitons and Fractals, 18, 2003, pp. 335–343, Erzilia Lozneanu and Mircea Sanduloviciu, .
From Plasma Crystals and Helical Structures towards Inorganic Living Matter, New Journal of Physics, V. N. Tsytovich, August 2007
Physics and Biology: Bio-plasma physics. American Journal of Physics 68, 450 (2000); https://doi.org/10.1119/1.19470, Mituo Uehara and Kumiko K. Sakane.
Our Invisible Bodies, Jay Alfred, 2005.
