Life in the solar system could have originated on Mars for the first time, and not on Earth

(ORDO NEWS) — A new study published in the journal Science Advances suggests that the organic molecules that allowed life to begin were present on Mars about 4.5 billion years ago.

And although these essential components could have hit Earth at about the same time, it was on the Red Planet that life found the most favorable conditions.

Earth and Mars are part of the inner solar system, made up of four rocky planets and an asteroid belt. Shortly after their formation, these planets were brutally bombarded when a shower of asteroids hit the inner solar system.

While these rocks assimilated into the crust of Earth and Mars, the movement of plate tectonics on our home world caused these ancient meteors to fall deep into the planet.

In contrast, the surface of Mars is stationary, which means that rocks that crashed into the planet in the distant past remain in place and can be studied.

After analyzing 31 Martian meteorites, the authors of the study tried to answer a number of fundamental questions about their origin.

For example, until now, scientists have not determined where these ancient stones came from the inner or outer solar system, and whether they carried any organic material that could allow life to develop.

Using ultra-precise measurements of chromium isotopes, the researchers identified the meteorites as carbonaceous chondrites from the outer solar system.

Based on the prevalence of such rocks on Mars and the fact that ice typically makes up 10 percent of their mass, the authors calculated that these ancient impacts brought enough water to Mars to cover the entire planet with 307 meters of water.

Remarkably, carbonaceous chondrites from the outer solar system also delivered organic molecules such as amino acids to the inner solar system.

These compounds are essential for the formation of DNA and probably provided the raw materials that allowed life to begin.

“At this time, Mars was bombarded by ice-filled asteroids. This happened in the first 100 million years of the planet’s evolution,” study author Professor Martin Bizzarro explained.

“Another interesting aspect is that the asteroids also carried organic molecules that are biologically important for life.”

However, if conditions on Mars could be ideal for life at this early stage, the same cannot be said for Earth. “After this period, something catastrophic happened to potential life on Earth,” says Bizzaro.

It is believed that there was a giant collision between the Earth and another planet the size of Mars. It was a massive impact that shaped the Earth-Moon system and simultaneously wiped out all potential life on Earth.”

Taken together, these results indicate that during the formative years of the inner solar system, life likely had a better chance of thriving on Mars than on Earth.

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