A new study suggests that water first appeared in the universe just a couple hundred million years after the Big Bang — meaning life could have evolved billions of years earlier than previously thought.
An illustration of a watery planet in the early universe. New research suggests that the first water molecules in space may have formed billions of years earlier than previously predicted. Water may have emerged in the universe far earlier than scientists thought — and it could mean that life could be billions of years older too, new research suggests. Water is one of the most essential ingredients for life as we know it. But exactly when water first appeared has been a question of scientific interest for decades. Now, new research suggests that water likely existed 100 million to 200 million years after the Big Bang — billions of years earlier than scientists previously predicted. The research was published March 3 in the journal Nature Astronomy . The early universe was dry because it was mainly filled with very simple elements, like hydrogen, helium and lithium. Heavier elements didn't develop until the…