Water on Earth is older than the sun, scientists say
Source: Los Angeles Times
In a study published Thursday in Science, researchers say the distinct chemical signature of the water on Earth and throughout the solar system could occur only if some of that water formed before the swirling disk of dust and gas gave birth to the planets, moons, comets and asteroids.
This primordial water makes up 30% to 50% of the water on Earth, the researchers estimate.
Its pretty amazing that a significant fraction of water on Earth predates the sun and the solar system, said study leader Ilse Cleeves, an astronomer at the University of Michigan.
This finding suggests that water, a key ingredient of life, may be common in young planetary systems across the universe, Cleeves and her colleagues say.
<snip>
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-old-water-on-earth-20140923-story.html
shenmue
(38,502 posts)bananas
(27,509 posts)We Are Indeed Made of Starstuff
By Keith Cowing on September 25, 2014 2:12 PM. 0 Comments
Earth's Water Is Much Older Than the Sun, Carnegie Institution for Science
"Our findings show that a significant fraction of our solar system's water, the most-fundamental ingredient to fostering life, is older than the Sun, which indicates that abundant, organic-rich interstellar ices should probably be found in all young planetary systems," Alexander said."
Water On Earth Is Older Than Our Sun, University of Exeter
"A pioneering new study has shown that water found on Earth predates the formation of the Sun -- raising hopes that life could exist on exoplanets, the planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy. The ground-breaking research set out to discover the origin of the water that was deposited on the Earth as it formed."
Keith's note: This is a rather profound finding - the sort of thing that would make Carl Sagan excoted - something that you'd think a lot of people would like to know about. The Carnegie Institution for Science notes: "This research was supported by the NSF, the Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship, NASA Astrobiology, NASA Cosmochemistry and NASA.". Yet no mention is made at @AstrobiologyNAI, astrobiology.nasa.gov, science.nasa.gov, or at NASA.gov. The word "inept" once again comes to mind with regard to NASA's Astrobiology program.
paleotn
(17,781 posts)BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)sakabatou
(42,083 posts)Our Sun isn't a first generation and probably formed out of a supernova remnant.
Just my guess.
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)I DO wonder what generation is the Sun?
Some of the "'hot" stars don't last very long. (type O ?)
sakabatou
(42,083 posts)When it explodes in a supernova, it produces elements heavier than iron but nothing after uranium or man-made elements (technetium).
nolabear
(41,915 posts)Genesis might need a rewrite.
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)In the beginning, God became the heavens and the earth.
WHEN CRABS ROAR
(3,813 posts)A far more accurate explanation that can't be quantified.
silverweb
(16,402 posts)[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]And being naturally androgynous, the Eternal's manifestation as "Father Sky" and "Mother Earth" (by these and other names in different traditions) together spawned life on our planet... not to mention lots of other places in our universe, too.
nolabear
(41,915 posts)GeorgeGist
(25,294 posts)sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)spiritual or scientific, regarding the origin of the universe that cannot be fairly dismissed as nonsense if one wishes.
TygrBright
(20,733 posts)Petrushka
(3,709 posts)"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)Thanks for posting. Tonight I will dream pleasantly.
tk2kewl
(18,133 posts)No?
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)oooooob
(30 posts)I guess my science learning wasn't correct. I thought the Earth was some kind of part of the Sun when it just formed. Remember all those movies of the Earth just being a fiery molten lava planet in the beginning? How could any water have been on it? Now I have to rearrange everything I have ever believed! No worries, that won't take long.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)It was part of a nebula.
The gas and dust gradually coalesced - a slightly denser lump of gas attracted more gas. Additional lumps formed, which orbited the main lump.
The big lump at the center eventually attracted enough gas to build the temperature and pressure to the point where fusion starts - it became the sun.
The planets were the other lumps. And they were indeed molten balls, because they were constantly colliding with other hunks of material. The Earth would have suffered trillions of asteroid impacts per day.
Eventually, the combination of solar wind and gravity of the planets cleared out most of the stuff, and you get a situation vaguely like what we have today. Though there still were some big impacts, like the impact that formed the moon - something the size of Mars hit the Earth. The impact completely liquefied the planet, and launched the material into orbit that coalesced into the moon.
Anyway, the Sun and Earth are made from the same nebula, and the Earth was molten. But it was molten due to impacts, not because of the Sun.
BillZBubb
(10,650 posts)The gases that the solar system condensed from were around before the sun, obviously. Water molecules would have formed before the sun formed. There is no reason water molecules needed the sun to have formed before they could form.
NickB79
(19,114 posts)The heavy elements in our solar system came from a previous star in the area going supernova and a new star forming out of the dust and incorporating some of the heavy elements. That star subsequently went supernova, and our star formed from it's dust.
Is it out of the realm of possibility that water was formed during the last solar formation? Hell, if the Sun's predecessor lived long enough before blowing, there could have been planets formed in orbit around it that were consumed in the blast.
Kablooie
(18,571 posts)I don't think you're alone!
Gore1FL
(21,032 posts)I'm guessing we burned a few Hydrogen molecules in the past few years!
Uncle Joe
(58,112 posts)Thanks for the thread, bananas.
oooooob
(30 posts)Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)I wonder what the temperature was on that day.
I wonder what the Science Guy thinks about this.
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)But it was a dry heat.