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We May Have Been Wrong About How Comets Seeded Life on Earth
Yahoo Tech • • science
Key Points:
- New simulations challenge the longstanding theory that life on Earth originated from prebiotic chemicals delivered by comets, suggesting such an event is highly improbable.
- Researchers focused on hydrogen cyanide, a key prebiotic molecule found in comets, and found that in over half the simulations, no comet delivered sufficient amounts to Earth's land due to atmospheric breakup, heat of impact, or ocean dilution.
- Even in simulations where delivery occurred, the opportunity for prebiotic chemistry was brief and required highly specific conditions, making the event a rare, possibly one-in-a-million occurrence.
- While the cometary delivery hypothesis appears unlikely for Earth, Mars's thinner atmosphere and lower impact velocities may make it a more plausible candidate for such chemical seeding.
- The study underscores that, although cometary delivery of life's building blocks to Earth is improbable, it cannot be entirely ruled out and may be more relevant for other planets.
