Was Mars once more habitable than Earth is today?

(NLĐO) - Both Earth and Mars may have been stripped of many essential elements for life by attackers from space.

A new study of iron magma meteorites has shed light on the planetary building blocks that made up early Earth and Mars, directly related to the potential for life on both worlds .

The famous iron asteroid Bendegon is the metallic core remnant of a "planetary building block," similar to what once made up Earth and Mars - Photo: Jorge Andrade

According to Sci-News, moderately volatile elements (MVEs) like copper and zinc play crucial roles in planetary chemistry, often accompanying essential elements for life such as water, carbon, and nitrogen.

Earth is teeming with life. Mars has also revealed much evidence suggesting that life once existed.

However, both planets have significantly fewer MVEs than chondrite asteroids, which are believed to hold the primordial elements of the solar system, including the seeds of life.

A new study led by Dr. Damanveer Grewal from Arizona State University (USA) analyzes iron magma meteorites, the metallic core remnants of "mini-planets," considered the building blocks of early planets in our solar system.

They found clear evidence that these blocks were once unexpectedly rich in MVE, meaning they were richer in essential elements for life than Earth is today.

This suggests that the intense process of creating the planet's building blocks did not cause the loss of MVE as initially predicted.

Instead, it was the young planets that gradually lost them during their development, through cosmic collisions during the wildest period of the solar system.

Therefore, it can be said that both Mars and Earth began their lives with more essential elements for life than Earth does today. Moreover, they were both born in the "habitable zone" of their parent star, the Sun.

Sadly, a series of unfortunate processes have transformed Mars into the barren world it is today. However, this new discovery offers a glimmer of hope for NASA's belief: finding evidence of life on the red planet, at least in the past.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/bang-chung-soc-sao-hoa-tung-de-song-hon-trai-dat-ngay-nay-19625020910072341.htm