NASA-backed study says Jupiter may have delivered ingredients for life
Technology
A new NASA-backed study says Jupiter may have helped deliver some of the ingredients needed for life.
By studying ancient meteorites, scientists found that Jupiter's massive gravity may have pulled in life-supporting materials during the solar system's formation.
Without this cosmic assist billions of years ago, Earth might not have had the right ingredients for life.
Giant planets may aid exoplanet habitability
Jupiter didn't just deliver life's building blocks. It also helped organize the solar system and may have lowered the risk of asteroid impacts on Earth.
The research suggests that giant planets like Jupiter could be crucial when looking for habitable worlds beyond our own, helping scientists figure out which exoplanets might actually support life.