The when and where of water in the history of the universe Karla de Souza Torres1, and Othon Cabo Winter2 1CEFET-MG, Curvelo, Brazil; E-mail:
[email protected] 2UNESP, Grupo de Din^amica Orbital & Planetologia, Guaratinguet´a,Brazil E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract It is undeniable that life as we know it depends on liquid water. It is difficult to imagine any biochemical machinery that does not require water. On Earth, life adapts to the most diverse environments and, once established, it is very resilient. Considering that water is a common compound in the Universe, it seems possible (maybe even likely) that one day we will find life elsewhere in the universe. In this study, we review the main aspects of water as an essential compound for life: when it appeared since the Big Bang, and where it spread throughout the diverse cosmic sites. Then, we describe the strong relation between water and life, as we know it. Keywords water; life; universe; H2O; astrobiology 1. Introduction. Why water is essential for life? It is well known that liquid water has played the essential and undeniable role in the emergence, development, and maintenance of life on Earth. Two thirds of the Earth's surface is covered by water, however fresh water is most valuable as a resource for animals and plants. Thus, sustain- ability of our planet's fresh water reserves is an important issue as population numbers increase. Water accounts for 75% of human body mass and is the major constituent of organism fluids. All these facts indicate that water is one of the most important elements for life on Earth.