Origin of Life on Earth
The scientific community is divided on the origins of life on Earth, with two main theories: life stemming from the planet's primordial soup of amino acids and organic molecules, or life arriving on interstellar debris.
However, a study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that life's ingredients may have come from microscopic particles of cosmic dust filled with life's most elemental building blocks.
There are over 500 naturally occurring compounds known as amino acids.
- Life spontaneously stemmed from the planet's primordial soup of amino acids and organic molecules.
- Life arrived after hitching a ride on interstellar debris, such as an asteroid slamming into Earth billions of years ago.
- Life's ingredients came aboard microscopic particles of cosmic dust filled with life's most elemental building blocks.
Author's summary: Cosmic dust may have brought life's ingredients to Earth.