水或由小行星 "撞"给地球

    According to the Daily Telegraph of October 9, water ice and organic molecules¹ that help to form the basis of life have been discovered on a second asteroid², called 65 Cybele, by astronomers⁴。
    The finding was reported at a meeting of planetary scientists in Pasadena, California, where scientists said the presence of ice lends support to theories that life on Earth was seeded from out of space after being carried here on asteroids⁵。
    The researchers made a similar discovery in April this year when they discovered the first evidence of ice on an asteroid called 24 Themis。
    Both this asteroid and the latest discovery are found in the asteroid belt that sits between Mars and Jupiter。
    "This discovery suggests that this region of our solar system contains more water ice than anticipated," said Professor Humberto Campins, an astronomer³ from University of Central Florida who led the research team, "It supports the theory that asteroids may have hit the Earth and brought our planet its water and the building blocks for life to form and evolve here."Professor Campins presented his findings at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical⁶ Society's Division for Planetary Sciences in Pasadena, California。
    据《每日电讯报》10月9日报道，天文学家们发现，又有一颗小行星上存在组成生命基础的水冰和有机分子。这颗小行星被称为原神星(65 cybele)。
    行星科学家们在加利福尼亚州帕萨迪纳举行的一次会议上，公布了这一研究成果。科学家们在这次会议上说，冰的存在支持了以下理论：地球上的生命源自太空，是被小行星带到这儿来的。
    研究人员今年4月有一个类似发现。他们当时发现，首次有证据证明，在一颗被称为司理星(24 Themis)的小行星上存在冰。
    这次发现的小行星和上次发现的小行星都位于火星与木星之间的小行星带中。
    中佛罗里达大学的天文学家、这项研究的带头人温贝托?坎平斯教授说：“这一发现表明，我们太阳系的这一地带含有的水冰比原先预计的要多。这支持了以下理论：小行星可能撞击过地球，给我们这颗行星带来了水和使生命得以在此形成和发展的基础材料。”
    在美国天文学会行星科学分会于帕萨迪纳举行的年会上，坎平斯教授提交了他的这一研究成果。
 

1 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

2 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

3 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

4 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

6 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。