NASA Finds New Way Earth May Have Received Elements Needed for Life
4 Min Read NASA Finds New Way Earth May Have Received Elements Needed for Life This is an artist’s impression of a young star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk. Darker rings in the disk are where objects like planetesimals are forming, clearing a path through the debris. Credits: Illustration: ESO NASA-supported scientists have provided new information about how the early Earth may have acquired some elements necessary for the planet to become habitable. They also suggest a new role for Jupiter in the distribution of these elements throughout the young solar system. The study, published today in Science Advances , examines this history by looking at the ratio of phosphorus to nitrogen in iron meteorites and in younger objects known as chondrites. The study suggests that Earth acquired its inventory of the life-essential elements phosphorous and nitrogen primarily from the inner solar system, without r...
