Around 100 million years after the Big Bang, the universe might have been filled with something unexpected—water. A new study suggests that supernovas, the catastrophic explosions of massive stars, could have flooded the early universe with water, providing the key ingredient for life to form. These stellar explosions released vast amounts of heavy elements, including oxygen, which mixed with hydrogen in the aftermath to create water. This discovery challenges our current understanding of the universe’s early conditions and opens up new possibilities for life beginning much sooner than previously thought, pushing the boundaries of how we think life could have emerged in the cosmos.
Supernova-driven water creation might have sparked the possibility of life in the early universe
According to new research, the explosive deaths of young giant stars might have filled the early universe with water, creating the possibility for life to begin just a few million years after the Big Bang. The supernovas created huge quantities of oxygen and other heavy elements that mixed with hydrogen to create water. Simulations indicate that water may have been present in as much as 30 times higher concentrations than today in interstellar space. The results could fundamentally change our conception of the origin of life and galaxy evolution and imply that water may have been an essential component for life earlier than ever considered.
Supernova explosions triggered the formation of water in the early universe
Around 100 million years after the Big Bang, the universe could have been filled with water, possibly forming in the wake of supernovas. These explosive events, which marked the death of early massive stars, released enormous amounts of oxygen and other heavy elements into space. When mixed with hydrogen, this could have created the water molecules necessary for life. Researchers have simulated the explosion of giant, short-lived early stars and found they might have generated the right conditions for water to form. This discovery challenges our previous understanding and opens up new possibilities for life in the universe long before the first galaxies fully formed.
How supernovae from the first stars could have made water—and life—possible in the early universe
Supernovae from the first massive stars may have been instrumental in providing water to the early universe, potentially enabling life to form just 100 million years after the Big Bang. The study’s simulations show that the explosive deaths of these stars could have created dense clouds of hydrogen, oxygen, and other elements, where water molecules formed. However, this theory contradicts previous ideas about the formation of water in the universe. The discovery also suggests that water could have been an essential part of the first galaxies. While these findings are groundbreaking, the research still faces challenges, as the stars involved haven’t been directly observed.
