Solar system scientists took NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on a treasure hunt in the asteroid belt, and what they didn’t find turned out to be as significant as what they did. If a spectrum of possible chemical compounds serves as a map of what to look for, X marked the spot of water vapor on Comet Read – a long-sought clue in the larger mystery of how Earth’s liquid water, and consequently life, first came to be. However, carbon dioxide was missing from the map, though it is present in all other comets. So in addition to continuing to pursue the history of ancient water in the solar system, scientists have an unexpected new quest on their hands, and will be hunting for answers in our cosmic backyard.

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