Did comet strikes kickstart life on Earth? - Earth.com

Did comet strikes kickstart life on Earth?

06-08-2017


Today’s Video of the Day comes thanks to the American Chemical Society’s Reactions series and features a look at how comet strikes could have kickstarted life on Earth.

Comets are leftover pieces from the birth of stars and planets throughout the solar system and can be over 4 billion years old. So while Earth was cooling from its initial formation, comets were carrying around basic chemicals from other planets.

The theory is that UV radiation, even in space, could’ve helped turned these basic chemicals into carbon compounds. Once the comets struck Earth, they delivered with them the very carbon compounds required for life to begin.

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com

Source: American Chemical Society

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