Lead author Dr Richard Anslow from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy: “It’s kind of a romantic idea, but our results suggest it’s highly unlikely.”
The team’s computer simulations centred on hydrogen cyanide, a compound composed of hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen, three elements fundamental to all living organisms.
HCN is particularly significant because the energy stored in its carbon-nitrogen triple bond makes it highly reactive and capable of driving the creation of complex molecules, including sugars, fats, and nucleobases, the building blocks of DNA.
Yet the modelling revealed that even if every scrap of cometary material had been deposited into Earth’s oceans simultaneously, the resulting concentration would reach just 0.75 micromoles per litre.
This is roughly 13,000 times below the threshold required to trigger the formation of key life-giving compounds.
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