Il Guardian  riporta e commenta la pubblicazione di un articolo scientifico sulla rivista Science a proposito delle analisi di un meteorite caduto in Inghilterra nel Febbraio 2021.

It is the first-ever carbonaceous chondrite meteorite – the oldest class of meteorites, which contain materials present during the formation of the solar system – to have been found in the UK. Crucially, it was collected within hours of being detected, before any rainfall, and analysed almost immediately, making it a rare uncontaminated specimen.

Secondo gli autori dell’articolo i risultati degli esami rafforzano l’ipotesi che l’acqua sulla Terra sia stata portata dagli scontri con meteoriti provenienti dallo spazio. La prima autrice afferma che:

Meteorites like Winchcombe are a pretty good match [to] the water in the Earth’s oceans and suggests asteroids were the main source of water,” said King. Extracts from the Winchcombe meteorite also contain extraterrestrial amino acids – prebiotic molecules that are fundamental building blocks for the origin of life.