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Prebiotic Rains of Interplanetary Micrometeorites to Earth

Obiettivo

With TerraPRIME, I propose an ambitious, multidisciplinary research program that will harness cutting-edge analytical techniques to tackle one of life’s most profound questions: How are planets primed to support life?

The emergence of life on Earth depended critically on the timely availability of volatile and organic compounds, which could only accumulate after the planetary surface cooled enough to sustain these prebiotic molecules. During this period, as Earth’s surface conditions became increasingly hospitable for life, models of interplanetary dust dynamics show that dust accumulation peaked—delivering orders of magnitude more mass than the bombardment from larger meteorites. Tiny equivalents of this dust are preserved as micro- to millimeter-sized dark clasts found in ancient meteorites, which are fragments of planetesimals that formed in the terrestrial planet region.

These dark clasts provide a unique window into the original mixture of water and organic compounds delivered to the relatively dry inner Solar System, where Earth and its neighbouring planets formed. However, much remains unknown about their prebiotic inventory, their place and time of formation, their journey through space, and the timing of their arrival in the terrestrial planet region. Without this knowledge, it is difficult to assess their potential as delivery systems for the essential building blocks of life.

Tracing the journey of these dark clasts—from their origin to their delivery onto rocky planets—is crucial for understanding how life’s ingredients are distributed across planetary systems and for evaluating the likelihood of life emerging on planets beyond our Solar System. This question is particularly timely today, as the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will actively search for potentially habitable worlds around other stars, underscoring the importance of understanding how planets become prepared to support life.

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Istituzione ospitante

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
Contributo netto dell'UE
€ 2 364 702,00
Indirizzo
NORREGADE 10
1165 KOBENHAVN
Danimarca
Regione
Danmark Hovedstaden Byen København
Tipo di attività
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Collegamenti
Costo totale
€ 2 364 702,00

Beneficiari (1)