NASA Scientist reveals Sun's early behaviour impacted development of life on Earth

In a recent interview, NASA scientist Vladimir Airapetian has revealed some shocking facts about Sun. NASA scientist revealed that billions of years Sun was fainter but also way more active than it is w. “Young Sun” was throwing out huge flares of radiation which helped in shaping evolution of life as we kw it. According to scientist Vladimir Airapetian, by understanding what our Sun was like when life emerged, scientists can understand or stars in galaxy. This will also help to predict wher life could emerge on planets re, too. Read on to kw more.

Source: NASA

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How did Sun evolve?

According to  NASA website, scientist stated in his interview that Sun is a magnetic star. After certain intervals of time, large bundles of magnetic field emerge from solar surface and form Sunspots. Sunspots are regions of enhanced magnetic field, kwn as "Active Regions". strong magnetic field in Sunspot regions moves due to surface convection. At some points, it can also generate magnetic tornadoes and hurricanes.

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Dr Airapetian furr revealed that  Sun was a very magnetically active star. It rotated up to 10 times faster than it is today, thus producing large Sunspots. Hence, it generated large and frequent flares. se frequent superflares could be 100 times more energetic than largest solar flare ever observed on our Sun, in current times. 

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How has evolution of Sun affected life on Earth?

Source: Unsplash

Life as we kw it has three essential requirements. first requirement is to have liquid water. Sun reportedly was also one important contributor to presence of water because it produced greenhouse gases. 

second requirement is to have a chemistry and an atmosphere that can eventually be broken into those complex molecules. Many scientists believe that Sun had produced an abundant amount of nitrous oxide, which is one of gases which helps to heat it to temperatures to allow liquid water. Hence, se were essential and y became more and more complex on surface.

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How did life start on Earth when re was oxygen in atmosphere?

Life started on Earth about 3.8 billion years ago, but atmosphere at that time had little or oxygen. According to NASA scientist Vladimir, lack of oxygen was one of most important conditions to start biological molecules. This is because oxygen oxidises simple molecules, thus causing a hindrance in creating complexity. Complex molecules like carbon moxide need little oxygen but opposite is true with carbon dioxide. Hence, it can be said that atmosphere was mildly reducing, meaning that it had some hydrogen, re was carbon dioxide, a little bit methane, nitrogen, that was one essential component of life.