Blazing meteorites from the outer solar system triggered life on Earth 4.6 ... trends now
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Great balls of fire from the outer regions of the solar system brought the building blocks of life to Earth 4.6 billion years ago, a new study reveals.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Imperial College London found these ancient meteorites contained carbonaceous chondrite, which consisted of potassium and zinc.
Potassium helps produce a cell's fluids, while zinc is vital in creating DNA.
The team found that these space rocks made up ten percent of the space rocks that smashed into the planet during its birth.
The other 90 percent came from the inner solar system's non-carbonaceous (NC) material.
Life of Earth was triggered by fireballs that collided with the newly birthed planet 4.6 billion years ago
'Our studies complement and confirm each other's results in multiple ways,' the study's lead author Dr Nicole Nie told SWS.
'Among moderately volatile elements, potassium is the least volatile while zinc is one of the most volatile elements.'
The meteorites provided 20 percent of Earth's potassium and half its zinc.
Both are considered volatiles, which are elements or
