(ORDO NEWS) — A lightning strike on a tree in Florida has created a material characteristic of the space environment, which may provide new insights into the origin of life on Earth.
When lightning strikes a tree, experts say it causes a series of reactions that usually lead to the formation of fulgurites, also known as “petrified lightning.”
However, this time, the material found inside the New Port Richey fulgurite turned out to be unique – a group of calcium phosphites that had never been found before on Earth, but only in meteorites and space.
This material was tried to be recreated in the laboratory, but the experiment failed, which indicates that it is formed only under strictly defined conditions.
The discovery of a unique calcium phosphite in a place as unusual as a lightning strike could provide new insights into the origin of life on Earth.
Scientists believe that similar lightning-induced reactions to form phosphites could have played an important role on the early Earth and may have influenced the origin of life.
This discovery could also help in the search for life in space, as the same materials have been found in meteorites.
However, the researchers acknowledge that further research is needed to confirm their hypothesis and to better understand how such reactions may influence the development of life in space and on Earth.
As scientists note, in order to get a more accurate idea of how phosphites are formed during lightning, more research is needed.
In particular, we need to study in more detail the physical and chemical conditions under which these unique materials are formed, as well as experiment with different types of trees and environments.
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