New Research Says Earth’s Water Didn’t Come from Space — It Was Always Here

Scientists believe that the majority of Earth’s water came from space, specifically the icy asteroids or water-rich comets that hit the Earth. However, a new study from the University of Oxford is currently challenging this belief.

Rethinking Earth’s Water Origins

The study, published in the journal Icarus, suggests that during the formation of the Earth, it already contained a sufficient amount of hydrogen to form all the water and oceans on the planet.

For decades, it was believed that those seas of water were from extraterrestrial objects, most likely an icy asteroid or water-rich comets, just continuing to hit Earth during its early ages. So, when this new study came out, it immediately got the attention and interest of the whole scientific community.

Source: University of Oxford News

Meteorite Analysis Provides Clues

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The research team analyzed enstatite chondrites, a rare type of meteorite, which was found to have a composition that can also be found on Earth naturally during its early stages.

The research suggested that these meteorites, which are probably the same materials that built the Earth, are not so dry after all, since they were found to contain significant amounts of hydrogen.

So the logic of the theory goes like this: if the meteorite that has the same composition that built the planet has some hydrogen in them, and if Earth also have some oxygen from the minerals it was formed with, then water (H₂O) could have formed right here, from the start, as the planet came together.

This conclusion directly challenges the present belief that water came from the asteroids later on.

Source: Earth Sciences at Oxford

Advanced Techniques Reveal Hidden Hydrogen

The scientists from Oxford used an advanced X-ray technology, where they found out that the hydrogen from the meteorite is bonded with sulfur. This suggests that the compound is not a result of contamination from its environment, but rather a natural part of the meteorite.

The findings support the idea that the water originally came from within Earth, and not from space. If proven with even more evidence, this theory will change a lot of how we look at other planets and decide if they are capable of hosting life.

Source: Washington Post

Implications for Planetary Science

The idea that water formed naturally within our own planet makes Earth an even more special case, making it harder for any planet to be looked upon as something that can host life.

It could also be the other way around, where, if water, which is a key ingredient for life, could have been formed inside our planet, then others could have also developed it too, making them a possible habitable planet.

This theory overall just gives birth to a lot more other theories regarding space and our understanding of how a planet with life is formed.

Source: ScienceDaily

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Author's Final Thoughts

The University of Oxford’s study invites us not to just rely on past research for future hypotheses. Rather, we should always question and challenge theories to better understand how life came to be on our little blue planet.

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