Scientists have assessed the role of the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs in the development of life on Earth
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- Scientists have assessed the role of the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs in the development of life on Earth
The asteroid whose fall led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago could simultaneously create an underground environment suitable for life for millions of years. This was reported on June 9 by the Science X news portal.
Annemarie Pickersgill, Member of the SUERC Isotope Research Center
Wherever there is running warm water on Earth, there is life, and we have long known that hydrothermal systems form as a result of collisions with asteroids. Previous studies conducted in the early 2000s showed that the system, which arose as a result of a collision with the Chicxulub asteroid, existed for about 2 million years. These conclusions were made on the basis of computer models, which were considered conservative even at that time, but the results of our study still surprised us.
The researchers studied rock samples from the Chicxulub crater on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, which was formed after the impact of an asteroid with a diameter of about 10 km. The analysis showed that the hydrothermal system that appeared under the crater existed for at least 8 million years — four times longer than previously assumed.
According to scientists, after the impact, the molten rocks mixed with seawater, forming a network of cracks and cavities with hot water. Such conditions are allegedly considered favorable for the existence of microorganisms, since they can be protected from radiation and extreme temperatures in it. Researchers believe that this is exactly what happened on Earth billions of years ago.
To confirm the results, the researchers used computer simulations. It showed that the combination of high rock permeability, residual heat from the impact, and natural geothermal processes allowed the system to remain active for millions of years. The authors of the work believe that the results will help to better understand the origin of life on the early Earth. In addition, the discovery may be useful in the search for traces of life on Mars and other planets, where numerous collisions with asteroids have occurred in the past.
On March 15, Science Daily magazine reported on the rapid recovery of life after the extinction of the dinosaurs. According to the publication, new species of microscopic plankton could appear in less than 2 thousand years after the catastrophe that occurred 66 million years ago as a result of an asteroid impact. Chris Lowry, the lead author of the study, called the emergence of new plankton species in such a short time an unusually fast process and noted that it usually takes millions of years for new species to evolve.
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