Earth is hit by thousands of meteorites each year, according to a 2020 study published in Geology — but they're small meteorites, not planet-changing asteroids. And with those meteorites come numerous elements that are the key building blocks for life on Earth.
Until now, researchers believed that volatile elements like zinc and water might have come from asteroids that formed near Earth. However, a new study published in the journal Science indicates that these volatile elements may have come from asteroids originating closer to Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.
Though these small rocks have made a long journey through space, they've significantly changed our planet. Here is what meteorites bring to Earth.
If volatile elements come from asteroids, then why do they also arrive on Earth with meteorites? When it comes to space rocks, there can be some confusion between asteroids, meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites — and that's without including comets.
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