At www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2014/01/exo-planet-atmospheres-can-form-pr… … the atmospheres around exoplanets and brown dwarfs form exotic clouds according to researchers at the University of St Andrews. Instead of water droplets they are made up of dust particles made of minerals that could give rise to the precursors of life – Panspermia in other words.
The paper is in the International Journal of Astrobiology and finds that electrified dusty environments can lead to the formation of prebiotic molecules. Funded by the European Research Council, the group known as Life, Electricity, Atmosphere, Planets, show that such dust (forming clouds) can become charged and produce lightning, electrifying the atmosphere – which create gases that contain electrons and ions (plasma). The findings were discussed at a meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society on 10th January – see http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/