A meteorite the size of four Everests may have contributed to the emergence of life on Earth.

Billions of years ago, long before the emergence of life as we know it, meteorites often fell on Earth. One of them hit several 3.26 billion yearsand even today it reveals the secrets of our planet’s past.

What happened when a meteorite the size of Climb Everest four times crashed into the Earth? New research suggests that this colossal impact had a positive side for life: it may have contributed to its development.

Work published this Monday in the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)sheds light on the fall of the “S2” meteorite, of which geological remains in the Barberton greenstone belt of South Africa.

A team led by Nadia Drabon from Harvard University conducted the study. detailed analysis of rock samples, studying sedimentology, geochemistry and carbon isotope composition to reconstruct “the clearest picture yet” of the meteorite’s impact on Earth.

S2 is estimated to be up to 200 times more than what led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.caused a tsunami that mixed the oceans and washed debris toward the coast. The heat generated by the impact boiled the surface layer of the ocean and raised the temperature of the atmosphere. According to a statement from Harvard, a dense cloud of dust covered the planet, disrupting photosynthesis.

However, the bacteria turned out to be resistant. According to the Drabon team, Bacterial life quickly recovered after the impact. with a noticeable increase in populations of single-celled organisms that fed on phosphorus and iron.

The researchers speculate that the tsunami likely moved iron from the deep ocean to more surface waters, while phosphorus may have entered through the meteorite itself and increased erosion on land.

The analysis shows that iron-metabolizing bacteria multiplied immediately after the impact. Although this dominance was short-lived, it represents important part for understanding the evolution of life primitive on Earth.

Drabon’s research highlights that while meteorite impacts are known for their destructive power (such as the one that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago), they also played a role. role in promoting life. “We consider these impacts to be catastrophic,” Drabon explains, “but this study shows that, especially in early times, these impacts could have supported life and allowed it to flourish.”