Ancient Greece and the Fifth Element
The ancient Greeks had words for it – the “Fifth Element” or “Quintessence”, an invisible material filling unoccupied space in our Universe.

Quintessence and Dark Energy
Quintessence is associated with time-varying “dark energy” that propels the measured accelerating expansion of the Universe.

The Cosmological Constant and Dark Energy
Quintessence contrasts with a “cosmological constant”. Unfortunately, quantum electrodynamics yields a value 10120 times the cosmic microwave background (CMB) value.

Evidence for Quintessence
In November 2020, cosmologists reported they have identified a tentative CMB signature of quintessence.

Quintessential Water Nanoclusters from Cosmic Dust
Coincidentally, in November 2020, Dr. Keith Johnson, MIT Professor Emeritus, heard from the “International Journal of Astrobiology” that his paper, “Cosmology, Astrobiology, and the RNA World: Just Add Quintessential Water” had been accepted for publication. There he proposes cosmic water nanoclusters ejected from abundant ice-coated cosmic dust constitute a “quintessence scalar field”.

Quintessential Water as Dark Matter
Quintessential cosmic water nanoclusters constitute “baryonic dark matter”. Non-baryonic dark matter like WIMPS and AXIONS are not ruled out, although they have not been found after thirty years of experiments.

Quintessential Water and Dark Energy Cosmic water nanoclusters can capture the virtual photons of zero-point-energy vacuum fluctuations above the cluster cut-off frequency, Only vacuum fluctuations below 1.7 THz are gravitationally active, leading to a common origin of dark matter and dark energy of the correct magnitudes.

A Cyclic Universe versus the Inflationary Multiverse
Dr. Johnson’s paper suggests a single “cyclic” Universe cosmology instead of the popular “multiverse” derived from inflationary cosmology.

Quintessence and Astrobiology
The quantum chemistry of water nanoclusters interacting with prebiotic organic molecules, amino acids, and RNA protocells reveals that life should be plentiful throughout the Universe wherever water is present.

The Key Frequency for Life
Dr. Johnson finds that the water-nanocluster vibrations key to coupling with prebiotic molecules correspond to the dark energy density value. He concludes that we are living at the ideal time in the expanding universe for life to exist.

The Anthropic Principle
From the quantum astrochemistry of quintessential cosmic water nanoclusters interacting with prebiotic organic molecules, amino acids and RNA protocells on early Earth and habitable exoplanets, Dr. Johnson’s scenario is consistent with the anthropic principle that our universe is a biosystem and has those properties which allow life – as we know it, based on water – to develop at the present stage of its history.

“Life Imitates Art”
Professor Johnson points out the idea that cosmic water nanoclusters may be a form of dark matter was a major plot element in a science-fiction feature film, “Breaking Symmetry” he wrote, produced, and directed at MIT twenty years ago. The principal character in the film is a young female astrophysicist studying dark matter. The movie can be seen on: Youtube.com

Article: “Cosmology, Astrobiology, and the RNA World: Just Add Quintessential Water”

Author: Keith Johnson, MIT

Published in International Journal of Astrobiology, January 2021 and available to read for free until March 1 2021