Cambridge study: comets likely destroyed hydrogen cyanide on early Earth

Technology Oct 31, 2026

A fresh study from Cambridge just threw a curveball at the old idea that comets delivered the ingredients for life to our planet.

Using 100,000 computer simulations, researchers found that when comets slammed into early Earth, they likely destroyed most of the hydrogen cyanide, a key piece needed for life's building blocks, instead of delivering it safely.

Richard Anslow: comets unlikely life source

Basically, this research challenges a big theory about how life got started here.

Lead scientist Richard Anslow pointed out that it's pretty unlikely organic molecules could survive those intense impacts.

So if comets weren't the source, scientists will need to keep searching for where Earth's first spark really came from.