Bouncing Comets Deliver Molecular Building Blocks for Life on Earth, Could Do the Same to Exoplanets

Scientists have been looking for signs of extraterrestrials. A new study could potentially help their search for life outside planet Earth.

Bouncing Comets Deliver Building Blocks For Life

One theory about how the molecular blocks for life end on Earth is through comets. A new study from the University of Cambridge researchers explained how "bouncing comets" did the job and potentially do the same in exoplanets.

According to the researchers, comets must move relatively slowly, at least 15 kilometers per second, to carry biological stuff. The critical molecules would not be able to withstand higher speeds. The impact's temperature and speed would force them to disintegrate.

Peas in a pod system are a collection of planets that orbit closely together, the most likely locations for comets to be able to travel at the appropriate speed. This would allow the comet to be 'bounced', or passed from one planet's orbit to another, decreasing its speed.

If the comet were to strike a planet at a slow enough pace, it would deposit intact molecules on its surface, which scientists think are the building blocks of life.

The findings imply that should cometary delivery play a significant role in the origins of life, then such systems would be viable targets for extrasolar life exploration. Prebiotic compounds, which are the building blocks of life, are present in various comets.

In 2022, for instance, analyses of samples from the Ryugu asteroid revealed that it contained vitamin B3 and complete amino acids. Large concentrations of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), another significant primordial chemical, are also found in comets. Due to its carbon-nitrogen solid connections, HCN is more resistant to high temperatures, which means it may be able to withstand atmospheric entry and stay intact.

"We're learning more about the atmospheres of exoplanets all the time, so we wanted to see if there are planets where complex molecules could also be delivered by comets," said first author Richard Anslow from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy. "It's possible that the molecules that led to life on Earth came from comets, so the same could be true for planets elsewhere in the galaxy."

The researchers, however, clarified that they intended to set some restrictions on the kinds of worlds where complex compounds, like HCN, may be successfully delivered by comets rather than claiming that comets are essential to the emergence of life on Earth or any other planet.

Devil Comet Explodes

In related news, the enormous "Devil Comet" recently burst and supposedly sped toward Earth, frightening some people. Astronomers picked up a massive outburst on Oct. 5 from the comet, which went bright dozens of times before it exploded. However, according to experts, it wasn't a threat to us.

The comet 12P/Pons-Brooks last appeared in Earth's skies 70 years ago. Its enormous size, roughly double Mount Everest's, and its ominous appearance from cloud horns made it the subject of headlines. Since it was larger than other comets, it was dubbed the "Devil Comet."

Teddy Kareta, a postdoctoral researcher at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, said the Devil Comet was massive and rare, and while it was visible to the naked eye due to its brightness, it didn't mean that it was "super close" to us.

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