Comet 67P atmosphere contains chemicals of life, Rosetta mission finds

Discovery of amino acid glycine in gas and dust cloud adds weight to the idea that comets crashing to Earth could have brought chemicals crucial to life

Scientists on the Rosetta mission have found building blocks for life in the cloud of gas and dust around the icy body known as comet 67P. The discovery backs up the idea that similar "dirty snowballs" could have been involved in kickstarting life on Earth.

The theory that extraterrestrial objects crashing into our planet could have brought chemicals crucial to the emergence of life has long been mooted, with an array of amino acids - the building blocks of proteins - already discovered on meteorites. But the new research adds weight to the notion that comets could also have played a role.