The February 12 edition of the 2015 Royal Tyrrell Museum Speaker Series is a presentation by Dr. Amy Riches from the University of Alberta that explores “Messages from Meteorites: The Growth of Planets & the Delivery of Possible Seeds of Life.”
While very little evidence is left of Earth’s early days, the highly cratered surfaces of the Moon and Mars indicate that the Earth must have had a very tumultuous past characterized by abundant meteorite impacts.
These impacts played an integral part in the formation of early Earth by adding rocky material; however, recent discoveries show that many meteorites also harbored water and simple organic molecules. This suggests that the building blocks of life may have come from outer space.
In her talk, Dr. Riches will review the importance of meteorites in planet formation and the possible role they played, through the transport of water and organic matter, in the origin of life on Earth.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum’s Speaker Series talks are free and open to the public. The first part of the series will be held every Thursday until February 26, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. in the Museum auditorium.
Speaker Series talks are also available on the Museum’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/RoyalTyrrellMuseum.
