Joel Kontinen
Old beliefs don’t die easily. For ages, it has been scientific dogma that Earth began as a molten blob and gradually cooled and got its water.
The origin of the water has remained a mystery. In 2010 some scientists nevertheless proposed that Earth probably had water from day one.
More recently, researchers confirmed the presence of “massive amounts of water 400 to 700 kilometers beneath Earth's surface” in a mineral called ringwoodite.
This cannot tell us much about the origin of Earth’s water, but a new study attempts to do just that.
In a paper published this week in Science, researchers suggest that Earth’s water is older than the sun:
“In studying the history of our Solar System's ices, the team -- led by L. Ilsedore Cleeves from the University of Michigan -- focused on hydrogen and its heavier isotope deuterium. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. The difference in masses between isotopes results in subtle differences in their behavior during chemical reactions. As a result, the ratio of hydrogen to deuterium in water molecules can tell scientists about the conditions under which the molecules formed,” ScienceDaily reports.
The team assumed a conventional (i.e. naturalistic) origin of the solar system. However, their stimulation suggests a somewhat unorthodox conclusion:
“At least some of the water in our own Solar System has an origin in interstellar space and pre-dates the birth of the Sun.”
What is particular interesting, is that according to Genesis, Earth is older than the sun, so Earth’s water should likewise be older than the sun. Moreover, the Bible mentions the “waters which were above the firmament” (Genesis 1:7, NKJV), so we should expect to find water in outer space.
Source:
Carnegie Institution. 2014. Earth's water is older than the sun: Likely originated as ices that formed in interstellar space. Science Daily. (25 September).
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