Researchers in South Korea have found stromatolites inside the Hapcheon impact crater, suggesting asteroid strikes created conditions that supported early oxygen-producing life.
A team from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources identified the layered structures in the northwestern part of the crater. Each measured 10 to 20 centimeters across. The site is the only confirmed asteroid impact crater on the Korean Peninsula.
Scientists suggest that asteroid impacts created hot, chemical-rich environments that could have kick-started life on Earth. A new review led by recent Rutgers graduate Shea Cinquemani highlights impact-generated hydrothermal systems as potential cradles for life's building blocks. These systems may have persisted for thousands of years, providing ideal conditions for early biology.
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Japanese researchers announced the discovery of asteroid traces in Hokkaido. This is the first confirmation of such traces in Japan. The findings may relate to the extinction of dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period.
Researchers have uncovered evidence of a powerful solar proton event that struck Earth around 1200 ce by analyzing carbon-14 spikes in ancient Japanese trees and cross-referencing medieval records of red auroras.
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NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered a variety of organic molecules on Mars, including compounds similar to DNA building blocks. The findings, from an innovative chemical experiment, suggest the planet's surface can preserve ancient organics potentially billions of years old. Scientists emphasize that while promising, the molecules do not confirm past life.