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Comet Life Theory Shattered by New Simulations
31 Oct
Summary
- New simulations suggest comets likely destroyed organic molecules on impact.
- Early Earth bombardments were too fast for intact molecule delivery.
- Asteroids and primordial soup are now considered stronger origin-of-life candidates.
New computer simulations are challenging the long-held theory that comets were instrumental in kick-starting life on Earth billions of years ago. These simulations suggest that the organic molecules comets may have carried would have been destroyed upon impact due to high velocities.
This finding contradicts scientific postulates dating back to at least 1961, which proposed that comets deposited water and organic materials on early Earth. The research indicates that early Earth bombardments from comets were often too intense for these fragile molecules to survive intact.
Scientists now point to alternative theories, including the possibility that Earth's primordial soup synthesized the necessary molecules or that asteroids, which impacted more slowly, delivered essential organic materials. Evidence from asteroid samples like Bennu and Ryugu supports this latter idea.
Interestingly, the study also raises the possibility that ancient Mars, with its lower comet impact velocities, might have been a more favorable environment for retaining such molecules. This adds a new dimension to the ongoing investigation into whether Mars once harbored life.
