by Ryan Robert Hallett

Created on: March 06, 2009   Last Updated: February 24, 2010

It would be very hard to quantify the exact number of theories which have been presented regarding the nature of man’s origins.  Of the many ideas is that of “exogenesis” ("genesis" referring to the origin and "exo" for outside).  Proponents of the theory hold that life did not originate on Earth, but was instead transported here via meteor or some other pan-galactic projectile.

Evidence for at least the physical possibility of exogenesis may be found in one of a handful of meteorites found on Earth which are thought to be of Martian origin.  According to NASA, the meteorite affectionately named ALH84001, discovered in Antarctica in 1984 and which is thought to have been here for about 13 000 years, contains possible evidence of fossilized bacteria, as well as of by-products of bacterial activity and the kinds of chemical markers that we use to indicate the breakdown of organisms.

Anomalous features on the meteorite merely suggest that life may exist outside of planet Earth, but some theorists go further and suggest that our own life was planted here in one way or another, from elsewhere.  The simpler version of this theory, referred to as “panspermia”, suggests that the seeds of life are somehow transported through space and when they come upon favourable conditions like those on our planet, they “sprout”, so to speak.

Many in the UFO field, however, contend that rather than randomly scattered, humans or perhaps all animals are the deliberate creations of extraterrestrials or are in fact their descendents.  Believe it or not, stories from a variety of religions in one way or another allude to such scenarios.  The Book of Genesis, for example, says that “There were giants in the Earth in those days... and the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them” (6:4). In the Hebrew Bible these giants are referred to as “Nephilim”, which according to author Ronald Story is sometimes translated as “those who came down” (1), bearing a striking resemblance to claims of alien visitation.

The epic ancient Indian poem the Mahabharata describes a great war involving alien invaders in flying devices, a war supposedly triggered because of extra-terrestrial meddling in Earthly political affairs(2).  This would constitute alien interference in our cultural, if not biological evolution and would arguably be a form of creation.

For the

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