New Study Links Comet 67P's Water to Earth's Oceans

NASA-led research identifies a molecular similarity between water on Comet 67P and Earth's, revisiting theories of cometary contributions to Earth's water supply.

Scientists analyzed over 16,000 water measurements from ESA's Rosetta mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, revealing a molecular signature resembling Earth's ocean water.
The study focused on the deuterium-to-hydrogen (D/H) ratio, a key marker for tracing the origin of water in the solar system, which showed near-terrestrial levels for 67P.
Previous findings from Rosetta in 2014, which indicated higher deuterium levels in 67P's water, were reevaluated due to the influence of cometary dust on measurements.
The research suggests that dust particles in a comet's coma can skew deuterium readings, and accurate measurements require analyzing water directly from the comet's body.
These findings reignite the possibility that Jupiter-family comets, like 67P, played a significant role in delivering water to early Earth, alongside asteroids.