A photo from open sources
New studies show that comets colliding with Earth’s surface, could provide energy to create simple molecules that subsequently gave birth to life on our planet. This conclusion, published in the journal of physical chemistry (Journal of Physical Chemistry A “) June 20, based on a computer model a similar effect on comet crystals that are originally consist of water, carbon dioxide and other simple molecules. “Comets contain very simple molecules,” says co-author Investigations Nir Goldman, physicist at Lawrence Laboratory Livermore, California. “When a comet hits, for example, the surface of the planet, such a collision can affect synthesis more complex substances than prebiotics, which in turn carry in itself the potential of the origin of life. “The panspermia hypothesis is developing decades and is built on the assumption that molecules with life potential were brought to Earth by comets or asteroids. But the idea that comets themselves influence the creation of molecules is completely new one. When the Earth was young, the constant fall of comets could bring about 22 trillion pounds (about 10 trillion kilogram) of carbon material per planet annually, believes Goldman. This could serve as a rich source of construction material for life forms. In a separate recent study, scientists conducted an experiment on a mini-comet in a laboratory to prove that the original molecules could have formed far beyond the limits of the earth. To test his hypothesis, Goldman and his colleagues used a computer model to simulate a single crystal comets from hundreds of molecules. Comet – almost “dirty snow com, “says Goldman, so the simulated crystal is composed of mostly water molecules, but also contains methanol, ammonium, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Then the researchers simulated the effect of a crystal hitting the Earth’s surface under various angles, from falling to a glancing blow. They watched chemical reactions in the crystal for about 250 picoseconds, which meets the necessary conditions for achieving indicative results. A powerful blow provided the energy needed to the formation of complex substances. “Each time the influence was enough strong to get a chemical reaction and form interesting substances, “says Goldman. In subsequent Goldman and his colleagues want to test various initial concentrations of chemicals in the comet to see how they influence the formation of processes.
Sergey Vasilenkov
Water Life
