Scientists talked about ice accretion and the formation of the Earth

The researchers showed that isotopes of supernovae, in particular Zr-96, were transported through interstellar space in the form of ice rather than stardust, and the Earth could form according to the "pebble accretion" model. This was reported on December 15 in the journal Science X.

For a long time, it was believed that isotopes formed in supernovae fell to Earth in the form of dust particles, and then were incorporated into the forming planet and biological systems. A new study by Dr. Martin Bizzarro and his colleagues shows that many of these materials were encased in ice that traveled through interstellar space.

The researchers studied meteorites, isolating from them water-soluble particles in weak acetic acid and a solid rocky base. They found that most of the Zr-96 was in the soluble, icy parts of the meteorites, rather than in the stone matrix. According to scientists, this confirms that ice was the main transport carrier of supernova isotopes.

This discovery has implications for models of planet formation. Scientists note that planets forming closer to the star lose isotopes along with evaporating ice, while more distant planets such as Neptune and Uranus are rich in these isotopes.

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The researchers concluded that the low concentration of Zr-96 on Earth confirms the hypothesis of pebble accretion, when small ice particles carried isotopes, which then burned up without being incorporated into the planet. Thus, the Earth was most likely formed from "pebbles", and not from large asteroids or planetesimals that held supernova isotopes.

The authors of the study emphasized that these hypotheses require further study, but if they are confirmed, the work could be an important contribution to understanding pre-planetary chemistry and the theory of planet formation.

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Izvestia has selected the most striking events of the week from the world of science

On December 9, Science American magazine reported the discovery of the oldest supernova that died in the explosion. It was clarified that the age of the object refers to the period when the universe was younger than 1 billion years, and the cosmos was only 5% of its current age. According to the publication, scientists were surprised that the explosion resembles modern supernovae.

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