The origins of Earth’s water questioned
Earth’s water may have originated from both asteroids and gas left over from the formation of the Sun according to new research. The discovery has profound implications for both the origins of life on Earth and the possibility of life elsewhere in the Universe.
The study, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, casts doubt on previously held belief of the source of Earth’s water by suggesting that the hydrogen which comprises the majority of the water molecule may have come from the solar nebula, clouds of gas and dust left over from our star’s formation.
Previous models have connected the water found on Earth to that found on asteroids implying that the majority of water delivered to the planet’s surface was a result of impacts from these objects. The ration of deuterium, a heavier isotope of hydrogen, in seawater is similar to the ratio found on asteroids. Scientists have traditionally used this method of tracing hydrogen to discover water’s origins simply because it is the most abundant element in the universe.
