Meteorites: Catalysts for Early Life

A meteorite 3.26 billion years ago may have boosted early life on Earth by delivering essential nutrients. This event, larger than the one that ended dinosaurs, possibly provided phosphorous and iron, crucial for microbes. Evidence lies in South Africa's Barberton Greenstone Belt, indicating rapid life recovery.

Sixty-six million years ago, a space rock marked the end of the Cretaceous Period, resulting in the dinosaur's demise. However, a far larger meteorite struck 3.26 billion years ago, sparking global destruction but possibly aiding early microbial life, as recent research suggests.

This prehistoric event introduced phosphorous and iron, essential nutrients for bacteria and archaea, transforming it into a 'giant fertilizer bomb' benefiting early life forms. Harvard geologist Nadja Drabon's study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals this through research on ancient rocks in South Africa's Barberton Greenstone Belt.

The meteorite was a carbonaceous chondrite, significantly larger than the one that exterminated dinosaurs. Its impact stirred global upheaval, including tsunamis and atmospheric changes, yet it also created an environment favorable for microbes, with the delivery of life-sustaining elements.

(With inputs from agencies.)