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Scientists Ran 100,000 Simulations of Comets Striking Earth. The Results Are a Surprise.
ScienceAlert • • general
Key Points:
- A longstanding theory suggests life on Earth may have originated from prebiotic chemicals delivered by comets, supported by evidence of organic molecules found in comets.
- New simulations by researchers at the University of Cambridge indicate that the likelihood of comets successfully delivering sufficient prebiotic molecules like hydrogen cyanide to Earth's surface is extremely low, often hindered by atmospheric breakup or ocean dilution.
- The study found that in over half the simulations, no comet strikes delivered enough hydrogen cyanide to land, and even successful deliveries would have provided only brief opportunities for prebiotic chemistry to occur.
- While the cometary impact hypothesis seems improbable for Earth, the simulations suggest Mars's thinner atmosphere and lower impact speeds could make it a more favorable environment for such chemical delivery.
- The findings do not entirely rule out cometary delivery of life's building blocks but imply it would have been a rare, possibly one-off event on Earth.
