Deuterium-Rich 3I/ATLAS: JWST Spectra Hint at an Ancient, Cold Formation, While Natural vs. Technological Origins Are Debated
To the point
3I/ATLAS may be a relic from an ancient part of the galaxy, formed in extremely cold, metal-poor conditions about 10–12 billion years ago as indicated by deuterium-enriched water and methane, but Avi Loeb cautions that natural processes could produce such isotopic signatures or, in principle, signal a technological origin, and the interpretation will depend on peer review.
