Water a crucial element for life may have formed much earlier than scientists previously believed just 200 million years after the Big Bang according to new research. The finding, led by Dr. Daniel Whalen from the University of Portsmouth challenges long-held theories about the cosmic origins of water.
How Did Water Form So Early?
At the universe’s beginning, only basic elements like hydrogen, helium, and lithium existed. Oxygen, a key ingredient for water, had not yet formed. However when the first stars known as Population III stars exploded as supernovae, they spread oxygen into space, making it possible for hydrogen and oxygen to combine into water molecules.
Dr. Whalen’s team found that two types of supernovae played a role in water’s early formation Core-collapse supernovae, which result from the explosive death of massive stars. Pair-instability supernovae, which occur when a star’s internal pressure drops, triggering a massive explosion. These events seeded dense gas clouds with oxygen, allowing water to form much earlier than expected.
Water-Rich Worlds in the Early Universe?
Though the amount of early water was likely small, it was highly concentrated in dense clouds, similar to those that later gave birth to stars and planets. Some of these ancient clouds contained as much water as found in our solar system today, suggesting that water-rich worlds could have emerged very early in cosmic history.
The discovery was made using advanced computer simulations that modeled early supernovae and water formation. Future observations with telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could provide direct evidence of early cosmic water, redefining how scientists search for life beyond Earth.
Dr. Whalen emphasized the significance of this breakthrough, stating “Much earlier than we anticipated, conditions for life existed. If water formed soon after the Big Bang, life may have had more time to develop elsewhere in the universe.”
This raises the chances of discovering extraterrestrial life, offering new insights into how habitable planets may have formed in the universe’s earliest days.