Water from another planet, something like that. A discovery carried out by the University of New Mexico (UNM): water inside a plant with the same “isotopic signature” as that of a meteorite.
The finding was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and thanks to it, scientists are now evaluating what the ancient climate of Earth might have been like.
Hidden in a plant
The protagonist of this story is the horsetail, also known as Equisetum. You’ve probably heard of this plant (especially if you’ve ever been on a diet to lose weight).
Well, horsetail is one of the oldest species on the planet, it has been surviving for about 400 million years, almost unchanged.
The team analyzed modern horsetails (Equisetum laevigatum) that grow along the Rio Grande in New Mexico. When studying the water inside their stems, they found a ratio of oxygen isotopes so low and so pure that some claimed that this water came from a meteorite.
Water filter
The water from the horsetail has an isotopic pattern (like a fingerprint, but chemical) that is similar to that found in meteorites or cosmic dust, and the plant does it on its own.
The secret seems to be in its internal structure, a kind of microscopic network of channels that acts as a perfect filtration system.
“I wonder how much ancient horsetails have upset the oxygen ratios scientists have relied upon for their other analyses” said a user.
What was the climate like before?
Scientists believe that thanks to this discovery they will be able to investigate how the climate worked millions of years ago, because ancient horsetails (which could grow more than 30 meters tall) left fossils with very small crystals (phytoliths) that preserve that original water signature. Incredible!
Why does horsetail water seem “extraterrestrial”?
Water contains different types of oxygen: O-16, O-17, and O-18. Normally, the ratio between them remains stable, but in the case of the horsetail, something breaks that balance. Scientists discovered that there is a triple anomaly in isotopic fractionation, which is why many called it “meteorite water” even though it is water from a terrestrial plant.
But this water does not come from space; it comes from a natural process. The stem transpires and naturally separates the isotopes.
Past, present, and future
Understanding how a plant can purify water at the atomic level could inspire sustainable filtration technologies or even help replicate natural water-cleaning processes, and the truth is that humans have not been able to do it yet, which is why it’s so surprising!
“We can reconstruct humidity conditions that existed when dinosaurs walked the Earth” said Sharp, the researcher in charge.
And with this, the University of New Mexico establishes itself as one of the leading centers in isotopic geochemistry, a field that connects biology, climate, and planetary processes. Congratulations, Mexican neighbors!
Between Earth and the cosmos
It’s not water from space, but it’s something equally fascinating. Life on Earth and the matter of the universe are made from the same mold!
The horsetail goes unnoticed on the banks of rivers, but it is something incredible, a connection with the cosmos that cannot be explained! How many more secrets are hidden in the stems of the plants that have been accompanying our rivers for millions of years?