Comets probably didn't seed life on Earth after all, new study suggests
A new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that comets likely did not deliver the necessary building blocks for life to Earth. Computer modeling indicates that the high speeds and angles of cometary impacts would cause organic molecules to vaporize upon hitting the atmosphere.
Why it matters
This research challenges a long-standing scientific theory regarding the origins of life, shifting the focus of astrobiology toward other potential delivery mechanisms.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources Illustration of cometary impact. Credit: Scarlett White The theory that comets delivered the molecular building blocks for life on Earth is a long-standing one, since comets are known to carry many of these molecules. However, a new study challenges this idea.
The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, found the cometary delivery of these building blocks would be—at best—a 'one-off fluke,' and not the steady rain of prebiotic molecules that had been theorized.
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