According to experts, the meteorite's water may help explain the genesis of Earth's ocean water.
Researchers and scientists are scouring the globe for any and all clues that could point to extraterrestrial life. An abundance of water is often cited as a prime indicator of the presence of life. According to the most recent news, scientists have discovered extraterrestrial water in the meteorite that fell and landed on a driveway in the town of Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom in February. The water in the meteorite may provide clues to the origin of Earth's ocean water, which has long been a mystery.
Also, READ: NASA sets up live streaming for crewed Soyuz mission to International Space Station: Watch
According to The Independent, Ashley King, a researcher in the planetary materials section at the Natural History Museum, said that around 12 percent of the sample was made up of water and that it was also the least polluted specimen to date. In addition, he said that the meteorite's water is'very, very similar' to Earth's water.
Expert at British Science Festival said, "It's a really good piece of evidence that asteroids and bodies like Winchcombe made a very important contribution to the Earth's oceans."
He said that the half-kilogram meteorite was free of any Earthly contamination since it was recovered so quickly after the fall. Meanwhile, Sky News reports that King added, "one of the big questions we have in planetary sciences is where did the water on Earth come from? And one of the obvious places is either through comets that have loads and loads of ice in them, or asteroids."
Nonetheless, he continued to explain that comet research suggests they are not a suitable fit for Earth's water. "The composition of the water in Winchcombe is a much better match, so that would imply that asteroids - carbonaceous asteroids - were probably the main source of water to the inner solar system, to the Earth," he said.
The asteroid from which the meteorite that landed in the UK in 2021 originated around 4.6 billion years ago. The 3,00,000-year trip the meteorite made before it reached Earth was also mentioned by King.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Representational Image")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}