Cambridge researchers find comet impacts destroy important molecules on Earth
Turns out, comets probably didn't deliver the ingredients for life to Earth after all.
A new Cambridge University study, published October 31, 2026, found that when comets hit our atmosphere, they're more likely to destroy important molecules than help them survive, contradicting what scientists used to think about how life began here.
Anslow simulations: Mars may preserve molecules
Lead researcher Richard Anslow's team ran simulations and saw that only in almost perfect conditions could key molecules survive a comet crash on Earth.
But with Mars's thinner atmosphere, those same building blocks might have actually made it through.
So while comets may not have sparked life here, the red planet could've been a more welcoming place, and the study suggests it may not have happened on either planet.