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Comets Probably Seeded Earth's Nitrogen Atmosphere
KentuckyFC writes "One of the biggest puzzles of astrobiology is the origin of the Earth's oceans and atmosphere. One favored theory is that our water is the leftovers from a bombardment of comets early in Earth's history. But the ratio of hydrogen and deuterium in the oceans doesn't match the ratio in the four comets measured so far (Halley's, Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp and C/2002 T7 LINEAR). Now a new analysis of the ratio of nitrogen-14 and 15 isotopes in these comets and on Earth places new limits on how much of our environment could have come from comets. On the one hand, the astronomers who did the work say that no more than a few percent of Earth's water could have come from comets. But on the other, they say that the ratio of nitrogen isotopes in these comets almost exactly matches the ratio in Earth's atmosphere. That suggests that while Earth's oceans must have come from somewhere else, Earth's early atmosphere was probably seeded by comets."
just about anything in the universe, and specifically various aspects of this planet, is becoming more like numerology than anything else. Case in point:
But on the other, they say that the ratio of nitrogen isotopes in these comets almost exactly matches the ratio in Earth's atmosphere. That suggests that while Earth's oceans must have come from somewhere else, Earth's early atmosphere was probably seeded by comet.
Any pattern they find seems to make scientists believe something is true, no matter how improbable. Scientists are only seeing what they want to see in this data. Despite this method of guessing based on simply "interesting patterns" and hoping they are right, these very same people consider taking on faith what the Holy Bible says about the origins of the world as being ludicrous. Ahhh, nothing like the smell of hypocrisy in the early morning hours. Flame on for bucking the *insertGroupNamehere* agenda.
this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. -- Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
Yes, you said it, they are fools. Anybody who thinks they know how the universe was created based on a few pages they read in some book that someone else wrote is a drooling idiot. Strict agnosticism is the most rational and logical theological position.
Furthermore your weak and unrelated hypothesis doesn't even begin to answer my question, how were the heavens and the earth created from nothing?
Face it, neither modern science nor biblical creation myths provide a satisfactory explanation as to why all of these particles are floating around in a three-dimensional space. The stupidest thing you could possibly do, regardless of your religious affiliation, is believe that the universe is not a mystery and that YOU in your infinite wisdom have EVERYTHING figured out.
Go milk a cow.