One theory suggests that molecular precursors, which are the building blocks of life, may have been brought to Earth via comets./illustration
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA— A theory states that molecular precursors, which are the building blocks of life, may have been brought to Earth via comets. Researchers have now shown how comet can carry the ingredients of life by bouncing off one planet whose planet is different.
Reported The Indian Express, Friday (17/11/2023), if a comet wants to send organic material, it has to move quite slowly, around 15 kilometers per second. This speed is a slow speed for a comet.
At speeds higher than that, the constituent molecules will break apart along with the temperature and speed of impact. In a paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, astronomers from the University of Cambridge theorize that the most likely place this occurs is in a “peas in a pod” system.
In a planetary system like this, a group of planets orbit closely together. Here, there is a possibility that the comet could be “passed” or “bounced” from one planet to another.
This can slow it down. If the delivery of comets was important to the origins of life, such planetary systems could be a great location to search for life.
In addition, comets are known to contain a number of molecules that are considered the building blocks of life. The Japanese Space Agency’s Hayabusa2 mission collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu in 2019.
Sample analysis found evidence of the presence of two substances, namely Uracil and Niacin. Uracil is one of the RNA building chemicals. Niacin, also known as Vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid, is important for metabolism.
However, it is important to emphasize that the researchers do not claim that comets were necessary for the origins of life on Earth or any other planet. Instead, they only studied how complex molecules such as hydrogen cyanide (HCN) could be successfully transported by comets.
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2023-11-17 05:59:59
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