Asteroid impacts may have been essential for the transition from chemistry to biology. Image Credit: Abramov and Kring 2007.Īsteroid impacts created clays that may have played a critical role in developing simple organic molecules like formaldehyde and more complex molecules like RNA. The impact was apocalyptic for dinosaurs, but other similar impacts further back in Earth’s history may have aided life’s emergence. The impact created a system of hydrothermal vents that lasted over one million years. This figure is a model of the temperature at the Chicxulub impact site based on borehole samples. Chemical and mineralogical variety can be good for life. The Chicxulub impact that ended the dinosaurs created a vast system of hydrothermal vents that lasted over one million years and chemically and mineralogically modified a giant chunk of the Earth’s crust. Asteroid impacts can create systems of hydrothermal vents underground that can aid life. Their impact craters were new types of habitats, and habitat variety can be good for life. The asteroid-blasted surfaces of Mercury, the Moon, and Mars look like they’ve had the life battered right out of them (if any of them ever hosted any life.) But simple conclusions often come back to haunt us, and that’s true of asteroids.Īsteroid impacts may have given life on Earth a helping hand. It’s enticing to look at our neighbours in the Solar System and come to simple conclusions. The lead author is Rebecca Martin, an associate professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The paper is “Asteroids and life: How special is the solar system?” and it’s available on the pre-print site. If they do, the asteroids in those belts could contribute to habitability on planets in those systems. Like many things in nature, it’s all about the amount.Ī new research paper looks at other solar systems to see if they have asteroid belts. Asteroids are dangerous but also beneficial. Their impacts may have created niches for life, too. But they may have delivered some of Earth’s water and the basic chemistry for life. An asteroid impact caused the most dramatic extinction in Earth’s history. Order emerges, and the picture becomes clearer.Īsteroids are one of the moving pieces in the kaleidoscope. There’s rigorous determination behind all the evidence and inquiry, and the kaleidoscope calms down over time. Sometimes, contradictory research is published within days of each other.īut that’s nature, and that’s part of the thrill of science. There are a thousand other questions, each with competing answers. There are competing theories for where Earth’s water came from, and there’s incomplete evidence for how the Moon formed and what role it played in life’s emergence. There are also images of the variations with each piece that has variations.Trying to piece together the appearance of life on Earth is a little like looking through a kaleidoscope. The short necklaces with a drop are similar to prayer beads. As such, there originally were 11 long necklaces (1 – 11), 11 short necklaces (12 – 22), 11 sets of prayer beads (23 – 33), and 11 bracelets (34 – 44). The images on the photos are the original designs before there were any variations. The end stones on the prayer beads and short necklaces with a drop vary as well and always complement the design. Stones may vary slightly in size and color but the essential design remains constant (sacred home, stone attributes, colors, original numbers, and geometry). To learn more, contact me at I’m always more than happy to share the deeper healing story. Thus, you become part of the growing global community of healing stewards for Mother Earth. Your StoneCircle(s) offer you healing from Her and, in turn, you become a healing stone on her global necklace. In mysterious and gracious reciprocity, together, the 44 designs create a healing necklace that surrounds Mother Earth. Feel free to contact me for a free consultation about what design(s) might be right for you at this time.Īnd with that, you can trust your intuition! Each piece in the collection is associated with a sacred site on the earth. As you browse, note what design(s) call to you. Click on the image to read the story of each of the 44 designs. StoneCircles are celebrations of nourishment, support, and beauty bestowed by Mother Earth.
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