Before the S2 impact, Earth was largely a water world with minimal life, primarily consisting of single-celled microbes lacking critical nutrients.

Led by geologist Nadja Drabon, scientists conducted fieldwork in South Africa to study the impact site and gather rock samples for analysis.

Despite the initial devastation, the impact introduced essential nutrients into the seas, fostering a bloom of simple, fast-reproducing microorganisms.

Overall, the findings published in the journal PNAS suggest that the S2 impact, while catastrophic, played a crucial role in paving the way for early life to thrive.

Around 3.26 billion years ago, a massive meteorite impact, known as the 'S2' event, struck Earth, creating a crater 500 kilometers wide and ejecting molten rock into the atmosphere.

A thick cloud of dust from the impact blocked sunlight, temporarily halting photosynthetic activity, but life quickly rebounded in the aftermath.

The S2 impact caused the ocean's surface to boil off, while the resulting tsunami transported debris inland and disrupted ocean ecosystems.

Research indicates that early life was surprisingly resilient, flourishing after the impact due to increased nutrient availability, particularly phosphorus and iron.

Bacterial life, especially iron-metabolizing bacteria, thrived in the new environmental conditions created by the impact.

This ancient impact generated a tsunami larger than any recorded in human history, boiling the oceans and significantly disrupting marine environments.

Geological evidence of the S2 impact has been found in the Barberton Greenstone Belt of South Africa, highlighting its significance in Earth's history.

Experts believe that further discoveries may reveal additional impact events that similarly influenced the early biosphere.