"NOVA: Asteroids: Spark of Life?" Premieres Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+
Imagine a time when Earth was a molten, volcanic wasteland, constantly bombarded by colossal asteroids. We’ve long feared these cosmic impacts as destroyers of life – just ask the dinosaurs – but what if they were the key to our very existence?
Explore a revolutionary new theory suggesting that these violent collisions provided the essential ingredients – water, minerals, and energy – needed for life to ignite on our planet.
Discover how scientists are unearthing evidence from lunar rocks and ancient impact craters, revealing that the very objects once thought to extinguish life might have actually sparked it.
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Credit: GBH
