Scientists Discover Cosmic Factory That Produces the Building Blocks of Life
Scientists have discovered a cosmic factory that produces the basic building blocks of life, such as amino acids, the study published today in Nature Geoscience.
A team from Imperial College London, the University of Kent, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory discovered that amino acids can be produced when a comet strikes a planet. This production can also occur when a dry meteorite (made entirely of rock) strikes an icy planet.
The discovery also offers a way to piece together the puzzle of how life began after Earth was bombarded by meteors and comets between 4.5 and 3.8 billion years ago.
"Our work shows that the fundamental building blocks of life can form anywhere in the solar system, and even beyond," says Dr. Zita Martins, co-author of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London. "But these building blocks require the necessary conditions for life to develop. What's exciting is that our work offers a different perspective, showing how life could have taken root on our planet by forming the building blocks elsewhere in the solar system."
Dr. Mark Price, also a co-author from the University of Kent, added: "This discovery shows us a very simple mechanism for the evolution of simple molecules like water and carbon dioxide ice to complex molecules like amino acids. This is the first step in the origin of life. The next step is how amino acids are converted into more complex structures like proteins."
The researchers say they can provide insights into how amino acids are formed in meteor impacts on planets with abundant surface ice, such as Enceladus and Europa. Their work points the way to a new direction for space missions searching for signs of life.
Researchers have found that when a comet hits the planet, it creates a shock wave that creates molecules that can be used to form amino acids. The collision also generates heat, which can help the molecules convert into amino acids.
Science Daily-Scientists Discover Cosmic Factory for Making Building Blocks of Life
