A group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has used molecular dynamics simulations to show that glycine-containing structures could have been formed by the impacts of comets on an early Earth. The study, published in Nature Chemistry, was led by Nir Goldman and provides further theoretical backing for the panspermia theory of the origin of life on earth.
From the abstract:
Our ab initio molecular dynamics simulations show that shock waves drive the synthesis of transient C-N bonded oligomers at extreme pressures and temperatures. On post impact quenching to lower pressures, the oligomers break apart to form a metastable glycine-containing complex. We show that impact from cometary ice could possibly yield amino acids by a synthetic route independent of the pre-existing atmospheric conditions and materials on the planet.
Link: Amino acids could be produced within impacting comets, bringing life to earth…
Abstract in Nature Chemistry: Synthesis of glycine-containing complexes in impacts of comets on early Earth
