Asteroids may have helped create life on Earth

Image via NASA

doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03206-7
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#Asteroids

South Korean scientists have made a fascinating discovery suggesting an important role for asteroids in the origin and development of life on our planet

They found evidence of ancient structures called stromatolites within a crater formed by an asteroid impact, indicating that these locations may have been ideal environments for early life.

The research, conducted by the Korean Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), identified these stromatolites in the Hapcheon crater, the only confirmed asteroid impact crater on the Korean Peninsula.

Stromatolites are layered rock formations created by ancient microbial communities.

They represent one of the oldest signs of life on Earth, mainly associated with cyanobacteria – microorganisms capable of photosynthesis and producing oxygen.

Researchers believe these stromatolites formed in a hydrothermal lake that emerged after the large asteroid impact.

The heat generated by the impact melted rocks, keeping the water warm and rich in minerals for long periods.

This warm and nutritious environment would have been perfect for microbes to develop and thrive.

The structures found measure about 10 to 20 centimeters and were located in the northwestern part of the crater – it is the first time that stromatolites have been recorded in this location.

Chemical analyses reinforce this idea.

The stromatolites show traces of extraterrestrial material mixed with local rocks, as well as clear evidence of alteration by high-temperature water.

The innermost layers show stronger signs of hydrothermal activity, suggesting that they formed in an earlier, warmer phase of the lake, which gradually cooled over time.

This discovery helps to better understand a crucial moment in Earth’s history: the Great Oxidation Event, which occurred about 2.4 billion years ago.

At that time, oxygen levels in the atmosphere increased dramatically.

Hydrothermal lakes created by asteroid impacts may have functioned as protected “oxygen oases,” where oxygen-producing microbes multiplied before the gas spread across the entire planet.

The study, published in the journal “Communications Earth & Environment,” offers a new perspective on how environments generated by cosmic collisions favored the emergence and evolution of microbial life.

Lead author Dr. Jaesoo Lim highlights that this is the first comprehensive evidence that stromatolites can form in post-impact hydrothermal lakes, offering favorable conditions for primitive microbial ecosystems.

The implications extend beyond Earth.

Mars also had water-filled impact craters in its ancient past.

Therefore, scientists suggest that similar environments on that planet could be promising locations in the search for traces of ancient microbial life.

This research builds on previous work from the same institute, which in 2021 confirmed the impact origin of the Hapcheon crater.

Now, with the discovery of stromatolites and geochemical analyses, a biological dimension is gained that enriches our understanding of the crater and the conditions that allowed primitive life to flourish.

In short, asteroid impacts, which are often seen only as destructive events, may have created safe and energetic havens where life found the necessary conditions to establish itself and evolve.

This view transforms our understanding of how life arose and spread on the young planet Earth.

Published in 05/25/2026 13h58

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Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption. Information about DOI, author and institution can be found in the body of the article.

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