Flares of the Sun “fertilized” life on Earth – Hipertextual

Feared and equally surprising, the solar flares continue to attract the attention of scientists. The reason is not random: in addition to affecting telecommunication systems, storms occurring on the Sun also caused real “tears” in the atmosphere of Mars. But in addition to its negative impact ejections our star also could have positive consequences, as they relate to the origin of life on Earth.

A study published today in the journal Nature Geoscience she proposes that the flames of the Sun “fertilized” life on Earth 4,000 million years ago. Solar storms explain the optimal living conditions on the planet, at a time when our star was not as bright as they are today and, therefore, could not warm the planet optimal way. “Our work describes a new concept of the origin of complex biomolecules of living organisms on the early Earth, mediated through explosive processes and energy that came from the Sun”, pointing to Hipertextual Dr. Vladimir Airapetian , an astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

cosmic ingredients for life

Using data from telescope Kepler , the researchers calculated the frequency of solar flares at least three times more frequent than they have been recently observed. In addition, scientists modeled the activity of our astro comparing the activity of other young stars. They were able to determine that 4,000 million years ago, an ejection of very powerful coronal mass reached Earth. This event could coincide with the global warming of the planet, which would not have been possible, according to the authors, without these tremendous explosions and flares from the sun.

Large flares solar could have been fundamental to warm the atmosphere, and promote the existence of liquid water and basic compounds for life

in their work, the team Airapetian has modeled the impact that might have these solar storms on Earth. According to their findings, solar flares could “fertilize” the life on Earth to be able to break the nitrogen molecules, so that it could recombine in other essential chemical structures to biological level. “The key is that the Sun Young was 30% less bright than now, so it had not been for that greenhouse factor so efficient, Earth would be a snowball and not a planet warm and humid to host life 4000 million years ago, “he says NASA scientist told this medium.

according to their estimates, these” clouds “of charged particles could have reached the planet more frequently than now-a once a day- distort the Earth’s magnetic field and achieving reach the atmosphere. Thus, the energetic particles from the Sun interact with chemical compounds such as molecular nitrogen, in turn generating hydrogen cyanide (HCN) or nitrous oxide (N2O). Subsequently, such structures would serve as “building blocks” that are part of living organisms, and promote a greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, which ultimately would be essential for the existence of liquid water and life on Earth.

Simulation of the impact of solar flares on Earth primitive. Image courtesy of Vladimir Airapetian.

According to the Dr. Jesus Martinez Frias , head of Group Meteorites and Planetary Geosciences CSIC at the Institute of Geosciences (CSIC-UCM) is “a very interesting job with plausible and well supported conclusions.” According to the also director of the Spanish Network of Planetology and astrobiology (REDESPA), “the importance of superllamaradas had already shown in previous work, but not so as concrete in relation to nitrogen fixation and addressing conditions habitability of the primitive Earth. “

the study, in its view, not only focuses habitability in the existence of liquid water, but proposes to take into account the flow of stellar energy and its importance to the in triggering reactions that could produce complex molecules essential for life. Martínez Frías also highlights a second point of this research, which has determined how they could have been generated greenhouse gases to keep warm enough to maintain liquid water atmosphere. And it is that solar storms, although today have a “negligible” effect as Airapetian, could be crucial when it comes to “fertilize” life on Earth.