Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
May 2, (THAINDIAN NEWS) In a recent discovery which is expected to shed revealing insights into how life originated on Earth, scientists have discovered a coating of ice as well as organic chemicals in an asteroid in the solar system. The revelation gives an impetus to the perception that asteroid might have played a pivotal role in bringing supplies of organic matter and water on Earth which enabled the emergence of life on the planet.

The findings of the research, which was undertaken by two groups of astronomers, was published in the science journal Nature recently. After observing the space rock, 24 Thermis with the help of NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), the astronomers reached the conclusion that the 200 km wide space rock consisted of ice and organic material. Josh Emery, a planetary scientist associated with the University of Tennessee who lead one of the studies stated that the organic material that was detected through the study appear to be a complicated chain of molecules. The scientist further highlighted that its arrival into the barren Earth in the form of meteorites could have been instrumental in the development of life on the planet.

In the meanwhile, the discovery of ice on asteroids has left many scientists rather surprised considering the fact that due to the warming effect of the sun the ice is likely to melt. Researchers have explained the phenomenon as the abundance of ice in the interior of the space rock. However, the findings of the study is being considered to be significant as study of primitive asteroids is expected to give a new direction to study of astrobiology.