# Comets may have destroyed life's ingredients instead of delivering them to Earth

Source: [Space & Time News -- ScienceDaily](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/11/261105224553.htm) · 2026-11-10 · Space
Page: https://themorning.science/story/comets-may-have-destroyed-life-s-ingredients-instead-of-delivering-them-to-earth-7c26109396033e4f
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- New University of Cambridge research challenges the century-old theory that comets delivered life's building blocks to Earth.
- The study suggests comets traveled too fast and struck at unfavorable angles for fragile molecules needed for life to survive.
- Under these conditions, the molecules may have been destroyed rather than delivered intact.

## Why it matters

If comet impacts destroyed rather than delivered prebiotic molecules, a major explanation for the origin of life on Earth would need revision, affecting how scientists search for life's origins elsewhere.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-05: Research findings reported by ScienceDaily (release dated 2026/11/05 per URL)

## Coverage

- [Comets may have destroyed life's ingredients instead of delivering them to Earth](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/11/261105224553.htm) — Space & Time News -- ScienceDaily, 2026-11-10

Tags: origin of life, comets, astrobiology, prebiotic chemistry, impacts

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science