Geomagnetic field- its role in the evolution of life and intelligence on earth

Abstract

The hypothesis that the fundamental cause responsible for the formation of the ozone layer on earth is the dipole magnetic field of the earth is elaborated on and supportive quantitative estimates are presented to show that the magnetic property of the earth is responsible for the sustenance of a steady ozone blanket in the earth's atmosphere, which in turn has been the major factor in the evolution of life with an oxygen metabolism. The effects of the ozone layer on the development of the earth's climate are discussed, and it is concluded that if the earth were devoid of the ozone layer, its overall surface temperature would have become as low as 1.5 K, the correlation between glacial changes and solar activity confirming this hypothesis. The constraint of the necessity of having a magnetic field for the evolution of life with an oxygen metabolism and intelligence is taken into consideration, and it is proposed that Drake's equation, which governs the calculation of the probability for finding intelligence elsewhere in the Universe, is reduced by about a factor of 10.