Oxygen on comet 67P might not be ancient after all
Newly discovered chemical reaction could generate the gas instead, study suggests
![comet 67P](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/050817_AY_comet-67P_main.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
OLD OR NEW? Molecular oxygen detected around comet 67P, shown here, may not be a relic of the solar system’s birth. Instead, it may be generated by interactions of water, the solar wind and sand on the comet’s surface.
NAVCAM/Rosetta/ESA (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0)