Sydney Scientists Recreate Cosmic Dust to Probe Life’s Origins

Researchers say lab-made cosmic dust may explain how organic matter reached early Earth.
Thousands of tonnes of cosmic dust hit Earth yearly, mostly burning up in the atmosphere.
At the University of Sydney, Linda Losurdo recreated cosmic dust from scratch in a laboratory.
She simulated space conditions using vacuum tubes, gases, and high-voltage plasma.
Cosmic dust carries CHON molecules, the chemical building blocks of life.
Scientists debate whether these molecules formed on Earth or arrived from space.
The work could clarify how meteorites acquired organic material.
The study appeared in the Astrophysical Journal.