Meteorites Contribution to Life on Earth

USGS image of Barringer Meteorite Crater

Much concern, tracking, and funding of research on meteors and asteroids is focused mainly on the destruction and danger to life on earth, but what about their contributions to life? The recent successful test of planetary defense against a devastating asteroid strike to our planet, the DART Mission, is a great example. While scientific research on the origins of life is a growing area with more and more evidence that our planet may not have hosted life without catastrophic meteorite and asteroid strikes! This article by G.R.Ozinski, the 2021 the Barringer Medal Awardee, explains the importance of these impacts: