Meteor Impacts Helped Jump Start Life?

This press release from the Geological Society of America reports that meteor impacts may actually help jump start life. A study of the Haughton Impact Crater on Devon Island, in the Canadian Arctic, has revealed some very life-friendly features at ground zero. These include hydrothermal systems, blasted rocks that are easier for microbes to inhabit, plus the cozy, protected basin created by the crater itself. If true, impact craters could represent some of the best sites to look for signs of past or present life on Mars and other planets. Abstract available here.

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