Cambridge study finds comets unlikely to deliver intact hydrogen cyanide to early Earth
A modeling study led by Cambridge indicates that comets seldom, if ever, brought pristine hydrogen cyanide to the early Earth, undermining a 1960s hypothesis regarding the origin of life's essential building blocks.For over sixty years, researchers have embraced the concept that comets might have ignited life on our planet by supplying preassembled organic components.A fresh modeling investigation suggests that this delivery path was, at best, an infrequent fluke. The study, released on October 28 within Scientific Reports, centered on hydrogen cyanide (HCN), a straightforward molecule frequently found in comets that acts as a precursor in numerous laboratory formulas for the…