Earth's building blocks formed during the solar system's first million years, study finds
Tracing path of carbon, scientists rewrite picture of early planet formation When people think about the most important ingredient for life on other planets, they usually talk about water. But there’s another element that makes our existence possible. “We’re carbon-based life forms,” said University of Chicago geophysical scientist Fred Ciesla, “and carbon is an important part of keeping a mild climate.” It can also be used as forensic tool to piece together how the earth and solar system must have formed. In twopapers, Ciesla and colleagues at California ...