Meteorite bombardment planets promotes the origin of life

Czech scientists have conducted laboratory experiments which showed how many of the planet bombardment by meteorites and comets may lead to the emergence of life. Recreating strict conditions bombardment using a laser, the scientists simultaneously obtained adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil - four organic compounds in RNA - a molecule encoding genetic information.

Scientists have long sought ways which lead to the creation of simple compounds "molecules of life" RNA and DNA (the latter contains uracil instead of thymine). The discovery of these methods may lead to an understanding of how life began. About this study tells the magazine ScienceMag one of the band members, Svatopluk Sivish from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Prague.



Sivish explained that in the past, scientists studying the assumption that the building blocks of life could be due to a simple chemical compound формамида, resulting from the reaction of hydrogen cyanide with water. This compound is abundant in the early stages of development of the Earth, and it has everything you need to create organic molecules: hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon and oxygen.

The value of the new study is that all components of RNA were obtained in a single reaction. Heating a mixture of formamide with clay, modeling the early state of the planet, and subjecting her to extreme pressure, temperature, and UV and X-ray radiation by means of high-speed laser pulses, the scientists got just the situation that arises in contact with the surface of the planet significantly large celestial body. < br />
Some previous studies show that adein and guanine are already contained in the composition of meteorites that could bring them to the earth. But now it turns out that these compounds could be made on the spot - says Rafael Saladino of the University of the Italian province of Viterbo.

It is known that one of the periods of the formation of the solar system planets were subjected to constant bombardment of meteorites of different sizes. This period was called «Поздняя Heavy Bombardment »and lasted for 4, 1 to 3, 8 billion years ago. It turns out that this attack from space could not sterilize the beginnings of life on the planet is believed by some scientists, but rather contribute to its appearance. Perhaps, however, the universe is set up so that it is constantly life began.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/242713/