"Could Nature produce any minimal lifeform and/or a single cell without Phosphorus?"
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Question
I am curious about what effect an asteroid impact, like the one that killed the dinosaurs, would have on the orbit of the earth.
Answer: Such an impact, by an asteroid 10-15 km across, would have no measurable effect on the Earth's orbit. Part of what makes the story of impacts and extinctions so interesting is that an impact that is "small" on a geophysical or astronomical scale, unable to alter the orbit or spin or magnetic field of the planet, can still generate an environmental catastrophe and mass extinction. David Morrison
NAI Senior Scientist
March 15, 2006
- How frequently are questions answered?
- I asked a question but there was no answer?
- Who is the Astrobiologist answering these questions?
- Will I get an email when my question is answered?
- What college courses should I take to become an astrobiologist?
- How can I get a job as an astrobiologist at NASA?
- Have aliens visited Earth? Are UFOs real?
- Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?
- Is it true that the Sun will be in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in December 2012 and that this will cause a pole shift and massive destruction.
- Has NASA discovered life on other worlds?
- Astrobiology Career Path Suggestions
