did life originate in outer space?

Organic compounds have been detected in the depths of the Milky Way galaxy. This is more evidence for the theory that life did not originate on earth. Instead, it is possible that the building blocks of life are spread throughout the universe. This theory is known as panspermia. (You can stop giggling now, it means "seeds everywhere").

Panspermia is an idea that has been around for centuries in various forms, but a recent version is that microbes are the fundamental form of life, and that they are widespread throughout the universe. Evidence for this comes from the near indestructibility of many kinds of microbes. They can be found deep in the ocean, in the freezing terrain of antarctica, and can even survive in space.
It seems a small step, then, to believe that they have travelled to other planets, perhaps on small rocks thrown up by a volcano, or from the impact of a large meteor or comet.

But if that is true, there is no reason that this is the planet where they began. If microbes really are the roving carriers of life, then we might be just another resting place on their journey through the furthest reaches of space.

If you want to believe that there are alien life forms out there that we will one day meet, then this theory gives you less solace than you might believe. It may be that complex life, such as that on Earth, is very rare occurrence. For example, it may happen once in every half a million star systems. If the universe is finite, and if and the probability of complex life is very small, then we might still be the only intelligent life in existence (a discussion of what it would mean for the universe to be finite will have to wait until another day). Alternatively, there may be intelligent species out there, but they may be "a long time ago in a galaxy far away." If so, they are forever unreachable.