Spark of life from outer space?

SEATTLE - While science has long thought of life on Earth as the product of the Earth, there has been a standing theory that the spark that set life into motion may have come from space. Now, scientists say they have the proof to back that theory up.

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Our planet teems with life, from whales down to bacteria.

But while we think of life on Earth as home grown, does it have an extraterrestrial spark? 

"What is the trigger for the origin of life? Of course, this is one of the greatest scientific questions there is," said University of Washington astronomer Don Brownlee.

Brownlee is also part of the UW's Astro-Biology program.

And he is the Principle Investigator behind "Star Dust," a space mission that caught up to and grabbed samples from the tail of the comet Wild II. 

"The goal of Star Dust was to find out what Comets are made from. And we found an amazing number of highly unexpected things," said Brownlee.

And this week, Brownee's NASA colleagues concluded that their sample contained microscopic quantities of an amino acid called glycine. Glycine is used by living organisms to make proteins. That's what allows animals and humans to build things like hairs and create enzymes to digest food.

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So where do scientists think these amino acids come from? They think these protein builders are hitching rides aboard comets that travel far outside our solar system. 

This has been going on for billions of years. Other worlds have been pummeled by this life-giving space debris. We know life caught on here, but could life begin on other planets?

"Microbial life might actually be fairly common in the universe, but the conditions supporting animal life are rare," said Brownlee.

Microbes on Earth are found in the most extreme places. But Brownee also says the Earth is likely to be a very rare combination of just the right elements for supporting life as we know it.

Brownlee says scientists discovered some amino acids in meteorites in 1969. But comets can also cover a lot more distance.