Although meteorites approaching Earth just glide past the planet, the celestial bodies hitting Earth with a massive impact was a more common occurrence 4.6 billion years ago. Although meteorites are associated with mass extinction and destruction, one of them may have contributed to the origin of life on Earth. In a new study, scientists have revealed that a gigantic meteorite named S2 boiled the oceans, to sow the seeds of life on Earth. The findings from an excavation on a meteorite impact site in South Africa were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Meteor Impact On Earth - Fired Asteroid In Collision With Planet (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Romolo Tavani)
S2 was first discovered in 2014, according to BBC, but it crashed into Earth around three billion years ago when the planet was an infant. With a size equal to four Mount Everests clumped together, S2 was 200 times larger than the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago and proved to be a source of life for Earth. It may have gashed certain patches of Earth with humongous craters, but it also churned out materials that were essential for the origin of life on the blue planet.
Earth-like planet forming, illustration (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | NEMES LASZLO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)
Lead author of the study, Nadja Drabon told BBC that previously scientists already knew that at this point, the space was bustling with debris from collisions and explosions. When S2 plunged inside Earth, it was just a water planet, except for a few empty continents that jutted out of the waters, touching the breeze. Living creatures that dominated the land included microorganisms that were all single-celled. But when S2 released chemicals that helped shaped bacterial life.
Full frame of liquid soap (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Doughlas Sacha)
“No complex life had formed yet, and only single-celled life was present in the form of bacteria and archaea,” Drabon told CNN. “The oceans likely contained some life, but not as much as today in part due to a lack of nutrients. Some people even describe the Archean oceans as ‘biological deserts.’ The Archean Earth was a water world with few islands sticking out. It would have been a curious sight, as the oceans were probably green in color from iron-rich deep waters.”
Alien planet with mountains, sea and planets on background. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Ralwel)
To investigate the remnants of S2’s rock fragments, Drabon and her colleagues visited the impact site in Eastern Barberton Greenbelt. There, they collected hundreds of kilograms of rocks and headed back to their laboratory. Speaking to CNN, she added that the impact S2 had on the planet was ferocious. “Picture yourself standing off the coast of Cape Cod, in a shelf of shallow water,” Drabon said. “It’s a low-energy environment, without strong currents. Then all of a sudden, you have a giant tsunami, sweeping by and ripping up the seafloor.”
S2 was so fiery that it boiled away the top layers of the oceans, triggering enormous tsunamis with its intense heat. As the oceans evaporated after boiling, they spewed particles of dust into the air. This smoky dust soon blanketed the skies, making it nearly impossible for the Sun’s light to reach the ground. As a result, the ability of plants to carry out photosynthesis was adversely shaken.
But the impact squeezed out iron-rich material from the ocean floor and brought it to the surface. Meanwhile, the erosion of coastal debris released phosphorus from S2. This was followed by a rapid spike in single-celled microorganisms. S2 then enriched these microorganisms by supplying them with essential nutrients. It acted as a “fertilizer bomb for life,” as one of Drabon’s students once said.
Rice grain and white rice.Image via 
Person eats rice.Image via 
Washing and rinsing rice. 
Mother and daughter eating rice meal.Image via 
Bees feeding on food source.Image via 
In the depths...Pexels | francesco ungaro
Hope the lights stay on. Pexels | parfait fongang
"That was beyond crazy..." YouTube | 
"This is the stuff of my nightmares..."YouTube | 
"Totally blown away..." YouTube | 
A representative Image of The Atlantic Ocean. Source: Pexels | Kellie Churchman
Representative Image Source: Painting from a series by Ernest Untermann in the museum at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah.
Representative Image Source: VARIOUS DINOSAURS IN GOBI DESERT. Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
Great white shark pokes its head above water.Image pulled from YouTube video - Photo taken by Geraldine Fernandez
Great white shark swims in the ocean.Image via Canva - Photo by lindsay_imagery
President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.