In October 2013, it was reported that there is a probability that an asteroid will hit the Earth in 2032. Though the chances of that happening is one in 63,000, many are still fretting about it. Could it be the end of civilization? Some Perth scientists say not exactly.

Scientists from Curtin University have discovered that a reverse scenario of sorts might actually happen. The asteroid impact might preserve our ecosystem for future inhabitants. They are basing this theory on proof of an ancient ecosystem found in Tasmania.

The journal Nature Geoscience has released documentations of remarkable glass fragments produced by an extremely large impact at Tasmania's Darwin Crater. The glass fragments were hypothesized to have come from a substance known as "impact glasses." These glasses were speculated to have been made when a large meteorite struck the Earth. A meteorite will speed up to 18 kilometers per second before impact and release solid rocks which will then melt in the atmosphere and blast out into the air. The molten rocks that will rain down on the collision area will solidify mid flight and will then acquire the appearance of glass.

When experts studied the material trapped within the fragments, it was discovered as the remains of ancient era rainforest and swamp. The extreme temperatures and pressures of the crash preserved the ecosystem of the time perfectly. These glass fragments were compared to mini time capsules by Prof. Phil Bland, co-author and planetary scientist from Curtin's Department of Applied Geology.

"Inside these glasses, the research team found tiny spheres of carbon bearing organic matter sourced from the ancient rainforest and swamp present at the time of impact," Prof. Bland said.

This implies that while an asteroid hitting the Earth is hardly ideal, the society that we know will still live on in tiny ecosystems scattered across the planet. In science, there is nothing more exciting than the prospect of uncovering more of these impact glasses as a way of discovering what may be in store for our future.