The Digital Press

New research shows Earth’s chemical makeup was fixed within three million years after the Solar System formed, but it started dry and lifeless until a massive impact with Theia delivered water and volatiles essential for life.

Why it matters: This collision likely made Earth habitable, highlighting how rare cosmic events shape life-friendly planets.

The big picture: Early Earth lacked water and carbon; volatile elements condensed only in cooler outer Solar System regions.

Stunning stat: Earth's proto-chemical composition was complete less than three million years after Solar System formation.

Commenters say: Many emphasize the role of chance in planetary habitability, debate implications for life elsewhere, and call for deeper study of the Theia impact.