Comets shed light of life on earth, according to a new study that discovered this possibility because researchers found a "cosmic factory" in space producing organic material.

The researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Kent and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said that icy comets that collide produce amino acids. The building blocks of ice, potentially shedding light on how life on Earth started, according to their studies.

Published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the team also found amino acids are produced when rocky meteorites crash into planets with icy surfaces. These are all potential theories to help shed light of how life on earth could possibly have started.

"Our work shows that the basic building blocks of life can be assembled anywhere in the Solar System and perhaps beyond," Zita Martins, study co-author told the journal. "However, the catch is that these building blocks need the right conditions in order for life to flourish. Excitingly, our study widens the scope for where these important ingredients may be formed in the Solar System and adds another piece to the puzzle of how life on our planet took root."

The researchers found that when a comet hits another object it creates a shockwave that generates molecules that make up amino acids, which this shockwave generates heat that then transforms the molecules into amino acids.

The researchers say the amino acids formed in space may have kick-started life on Earth between 4.5 and 3.8 billion years ago, which is when it is believed that earth formed.

To help the study, the researchers discovered this "cosmic factory" by recreating the impact of a comet by firing projectiles from a high speed gun into targets of ice mixtures with similar compositions to comets, according to the study. Amino acids were created from their project.

Dr Mark Price, study co-author, said: "This process demonstrates a very simple mechanism whereby we can go from a mix of simple molecules, such as water and carbon-dioxide ice, to a more complicated molecule, such as an amino acid. "This is the first step towards life. The next step is to work out how to go from an amino acid to even more complex molecules such as proteins."