British scientists claim to have found proof of alien life

Professor Milton Wainwright is "95 per cent convinced" the organisms from the edge of space do not originate from earth. Picture: University of Sheffield Source: Supplied

A TEAM of British scientists is convinced it has found proof of alien life, after it harvested strange particles from the edge of space.

The scientists came to the startling conclusion after a balloon sent 27 kilometres into the stratosphere came back carrying small biological organisms believed to have originated from space, the Independent reports.

Professor Milton Wainwright, of the University of Sheffield’s Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, says he is "95 per cent convinced" the organisms do not originate from earth.

"By all known information that science has, we know that they must be coming in from space," he said. "There is no known mechanism by which these life forms can achieve that height. As far as we can tell from known physics, they must be incoming."

"The organisms are not usual. If they came from earth, we would expect to see stuff that we find on earth commonly, like pollen."

Instead, some of the samples were captured covered with cosmic dust.

The group of scientists involved in the study believes the particles are coming from comets, which are large balls of ice travelling through space at high speed. The samples were collected during a meteorite show, when a comet melted and released the organisms as it broke down.

The organisms discovered on a balloon returning from the stratosphere probably contain DNA, supporting the notion that life on earth may itself have extraterrestrial origins. Picture: University of Sheffield

"The particles are very clean," added Professor Wainwright. "[Cosmic] dust isn't stuck to them, so we think they came from an aquatic environment, and the most obvious aquatic environment in space is a comet.”

The organisms probably contain DNA, supporting the notion that life on earth may itself have extraterrestrial origins.
"If we're right, it means that there's life in space, and it's coming to earth. It means that life on earth probably originated in space," said Professor Wainwright.

Responding to suggestions the life forms could have arrived in the upper atmosphere after being blasted into the upper atmosphere by a volcano, Professor Wainwright said: "The last volcano was three years ago, and the matter has all been deposited by now.”

The group’s findings have been published in the Journal of Cosmology and updated versions will appear in the same journal.