Key Highlights:
- A new study by University of Ediburgh suggests that a comet strike may have triggered human civilization.
- A vast amount of data supports the idea that a comet impacted the Earth approximately 13,000 years ago.
- Researchers discovered evidence of metals like platinum and nanodiamonds which are linked with comets.
Human Civilization’s Emergence
Fragments of a comet that erupted in orbit sped through the atmosphere and collided with the Earth over what is now the Middle East, North America, and Greenland 13,000 years ago. According to a new study by University of Ediburgh, there is a growing body of evidence that the impact aided in the emergence of human civilisation.
Scientists have long assumed that meteorites brought the elements for life to Earth, but new study shows that meteor strikes also produced the right circumstances for life to develop. As a result, the scientists believe that while searching for life on the Moon, Mars, or beyond, space agencies should pay special attention to comparable craters.
The Fatal Event
Since it was presented in 2007, the hypothesis of the catastrophic comet attack has sparked passionate discussion and extensive academic investigation. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have now evaluated information to determine the possibility of an effect and how the event may have occurred.
According to the researchers, a vast amount of data supports the idea that a comet impacted the Earth approximately 13,000 years ago. Geological data from four continents were analysed, with a focus on North America and Greenland, where the biggest chunks are estimated to have impacted.
The Younger Dryas collision is also thought to have killed out many big species and heralded the advent of the Little Ice Age, which lasted more than 1,000 years. Since its inception in 2007, the theory of catastrophic comet strikes has sparked heated debate and extensive academic research.
The University of Edinburgh is now analysing material to determine the possible effect and how the event unfolded.
From Speculation to Evidence
According to the study, a University of Edinburgh researcher discovered evidence of metals such as platinum and nanodiamonds, both of which are linked with comets, at various impact sites across the world.
The comet is thought to have caused a miniature millennium-long ice age, which also coincided with people in what is now Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon transitioning away from life as hunter-gatherers and establishing agriculture and long-term settlements — developments that are thought to have paved the way for modern civilization.
According to the researchers, additional study is needed to determine how it may have influenced global climate and the resulting shifts in human populations or animal extinctions.
Also Read:- Cosmic rays adding life to the earth
