Life On Earth As We Know It
Life is a miraculous thing as there are several different theories as to how life may have come to be. Whether it be religious beliefs, the Big Bang, and many other theories. Although we do not have a concrete answer, theories continue to flow in from many different directions. Many of us question, whether will there ever be an answer to this question. Or will we forever long for an answer, yet not be provided one? It cannot be said exactly yet, but as discoveries continue to be made, the answer comes closer and closer.
Asteroid Hitting Earth
Many would believe that an asteroid hitting Earth would not supply life whatsoever. Instead, it would do the complete opposite. After all, It is what it did to dinosaurs several million years ago. It seems that it may be a plausible theory since even though the asteroid that hit Earth millions of years ago took life away, may have breathed life into Earth as well. “Gizmodo reports that the revelation adds credence to the theory that the origin of life on Earth could have been delivered via meteorite and asteroid impacts,” mentions Dailymotion.
Did Anything Else Assist the Asteroids in Creating Life?
For many, it is very hard to believe that only an asteroid would potentially create life on Earth. Although, there are many that believe there may have been something else that came into play when life was created. “New research has found that interstellar clouds may have played a significant role in creating the conditions that helped create the building blocks of life,” according to Space.com. How could interstellar clouds potentially help breathe life into Earth? Interstellar clouds stay in space, they do not come close to Earth whatsoever.
Well, there is a substance within the interstellar clouds that are called amino acids. Amino acids do have the ability to create life wherever they may be. “Amino acids, which are a key ingredient of life, could have originally been made in interstellar molecular clouds like that from which the solar system formed, before winding up in asteroids that later crashed on Earth, bringing the amino acids with them,” according to Space.com.
Therefore, asteroids may have brought amino acids with them from space, and when they crashed down into Earth, released those amino acids within the soil. This could be a very plausible way in which life was created on Earth.
What Are Astronomers Doing to Know More?
Astronomers have been planning several missions to space to get to know asteroids a bit more each time. These missions are to find out what components are within an asteroid, as well as finding out a way to change the trajectory of the asteroid.
Although this sounds impossible to accomplish, as the years continue astronomers get the tools they need to execute these missions. There have been many setbacks when it comes to completing these missions, unfortunately. One of these setbacks is the COVID-19 outbreak. “Regardless of these setbacks, by the end of the 2020s we look set to know much more than we currently do about the asteroids in our neighborhood of space as well as those further afield,” states the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The Future of Asteroid Research and Life Itself
Astronomers may be closer to finding out what may have caused life to come to be than ever before. It is certainly a very hard task to complete, but once completed will reward us with more information than ever before. Asteroids may provide humans with a huge step forward in finding out how life came to be on Earth.
Written by David Loran Jr
Sources:
Dailymotion: Asteroid Samples Suggest Origin of Life on Earth May Have Come Via Impact
Space.com: Asteroids may have picked up building blocks of life from interstellar clouds
Royal Society of Chemistry: Do asteroids hold the key to life on Earth?