Study Suggests Comets Did Not Deliver Prebiotic Molecules
https://theness.com/neurologicablog/study-suggests-comets-did-not-deliver-prebiotic-molecules/
Comets may look like a convenient delivery service for life’s ingredients, carrying prebiotic molecules to early Earth. But new computer simulations suggest most comet impacts were so violent that hydrogen cyanide—a key molecule for prebiotic chemistry—would not have survived. If the findings hold up, comets likely didn’t supply enough of life’s chemical building blocks to make them a major source. That doesn’t rule out a small contribution, and this single study isn’t the final word. But it shifts attention back to Earth, where environments such as shallow pools, lakes and geothermal vents may have brought the right ingredients together. The research also suggests cometary delivery may have been more plausible on Mars. Read on to see what the simulations found—and what they could mean for the search for life’s origins.