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Where did the Earth's oceans come from? Most scientists think they came from water-rich asteroids and comets raining down on the planet in its youth.
But now planetary scientists in Japan suggest the oceans were actually "home-grown" – they may have formed because the young Earth had a thick blanket of hydrogen, which reacted with oxides in the Earth's mantle to form lakes and seas.
"Water is essential for the origin and evolution of life," says Hidenori Genda from the Tokyo Institute of Technology. "Why does water exist on Earth, where did it come from? These are fundamental questions for human beings."
www.newscientist.com
But now planetary scientists in Japan suggest the oceans were actually "home-grown" – they may have formed because the young Earth had a thick blanket of hydrogen, which reacted with oxides in the Earth's mantle to form lakes and seas.
"Water is essential for the origin and evolution of life," says Hidenori Genda from the Tokyo Institute of Technology. "Why does water exist on Earth, where did it come from? These are fundamental questions for human beings."
Earth's water brewed at home, not in space
The oceans were brewed up right here on Earth – and were not delivered by asteroids and comets as commonly thought, a new study suggests
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