A team of scientists revealed that bouncing comets could be the reason behind the formation of life on Earth, and the same phenomenon could have sprouted life alien forms in other exoplanets.
According to the study report published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, the earth was bombarded with asteroids and comets in the ancient days, and the team suggests that comets could be the reason behind the formation of water.
Comets behind the formation of life
During the study, researchers at the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy used mathematical models to know whether the same phenomenon could have happened in other exoplanets.
Even though the research did not provide conclusive evidence of the formation of alien life forms in other worlds, the findings of the team could be crucial for scientists to detect the possible identification of extraterrestrial life forms in other cosmic bodies.
"We're learning more about the atmospheres of exoplanets all the time, so we wanted to see if there are planets where complex molecules could also be delivered by comets," said Richard Anslow from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy who is the lead author of the study.
He added: "It's possible that the molecules that led to life on Earth came from comets, so the same could be true for planets elsewhere in the galaxy."
The study report also added that comets that fly at slow speed might be responsible for sowing life seeds on planets, as high-speeding comets could destroy prebiotic molecules.
Possible location of planets where life could be thriving
According to the study report, the most likely place where comets would travel at a speed low enough to preserve the life-giving molecules is within a system where planets orbit closely together, as such systems could provide the comet a chance to traverse slowly through the orbit of different planets.
"In these tightly-packed systems, each planet has a chance to interact with and trap a comet. It's possible that this mechanism could be how prebiotic molecules end up on planets," added Anslow.
