Astronomers have revealed the role of Jupiter in delivering components of life to Earth

Scientists with the support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have presented new data on how the early Earth could have obtained the chemical elements necessary for the emergence of life. The results of the study point to Jupiter's key role in the distribution of these substances in the young Solar System more than 4.5 billion years ago. This was reported on June 3 by the Science X news portal.

Experts have studied the ratio of phosphorus and nitrogen in iron meteorites and chondrites, younger objects that are remnants of planetesimals. Using laboratory experiments and geochemical modeling, the team reconstructed a map of the distribution of these elements. It turned out that in the first generation of planetesimals, the phosphorus content relative to nitrogen was higher in the outer part of the system, but this trend has changed over time.

According to the authors of the work, as Jupiter formed, its enormous mass and gravitational influence began to limit the movement of nitrogen and phosphorus. The planet has blocked the outflow of materials from the inner region of the system to the outer one. As a result, the second generation of planetesimals, from which the Earth was formed, turned out to be enriched with substances necessary for living cells.

According to lead author Debjit Pathak, the study demonstrates that the Earth has acquired reserves of vital elements — phosphorus and nitrogen — mainly from the inner Solar System, without significant contributions from chondrites from the outer region.

The simulations confirmed that the modern chemical composition of the Earth is best reproduced by those objects that were located in the inner part of the system under the protection of a growing gas giant. The scientists emphasized that the question of the possibility of forming habitable planets in systems where there are no giants like Jupiter remains open.

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The Magazine Phys.org On May 31, he spoke about the formation of planets around supermassive black holes. According to a computer model, the dust disks around these objects are suitable for the formation of millions of new worlds. Scientists have also predicted the appearance of exotic massive bodies consisting mainly of dust — nothing like this has yet been discovered in known planetary systems.