New research challenges the theory that the Moon-forming event delivered water to Earth, suggesting that water arrived during the late stages of the planet's evolution. Scientists from Rutgers University-New Brunswick studied molybdenum isotopes in meteorites to track Earth's early chemical history and found that Earth's rocks are more similar to drier meteorites from the inner solar system. This discovery has implications for understanding the origin of life and suggests that water arrived in smaller quantities later through asteroid impacts and other processes.