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The mystery of how life flourished on Earth could soon be solved by rocks on the moon, according to scientists.

A team of physicists have simulated the conditions of chunks of rock smashing into the moon to discover whether any microscopic fossils could survive.

They say that just one finding on the lunar surface could offer experts a glimpse of how ancient life on our own planet formed.

The truth is out there: Finding fossilised algae from Earth on the lunar surface, which travelled there by meteorite, (illustrated) could offer scientists a glimpse of ancient life on our planet - and some experts believe it may be possible to find such evidence with a lot of searching

A number of meteorites discovered on Earth were created by impacts on the moon and Mars, and suggest that cosmic bodies regularly throw rock debris at each other.

With this in mind, scientists wanted to test whether similar fossils could be discovered intact on the satellite.

Professor Mark Burchell from the University of Kent led the experiment to examine whether microscopic diatoms - a type of algae - could withstand a trip from Earth to the moon, New Scientist reported.

Powdered rock containing fossils was added to water and then frozen to make an artificial meteoroid.

Scientists then used a gas-powered gun to fire it into a water at speeds of 500 metres per second and 5km a second, replicating the impact of a body of rock hurtling through space before hitting the moon, according to the study, which was published in the journal, Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society A.

Mark Burchell, of the University of Kent, has led an experiment to examine of microscopic diatoms could withstand a trip to the moon from Earth and thinks that they could. Raw diatoms are pictured (a and b), fossilised versions that were shot (c and d) and fossilized versions without the impact (e and f)

While none of the fossils in the homemade meteoroid survived the impact in one piece, reserahcers did find that some tiny fragments of the fossils were identifiable. This, they say, could mean minute fossil remains may lay hidden on the moon inside meteorites.

Professor Burchell told the publication that the fact they found anything at all is promising and that he hopes fragments on the moon may be better preserved than those on Earth, as the satellite is less geologically active.

He said: 'There is a good chance even if you found fragments, there would be things you have not seen before.

He added that if these fragments could be dated, they would offer information about early life on Earth.

However, while rock samples have been collected by lunar missions, no-one has found an Earth meteorite on the moon.

It would be harder for a chunk of rock to travel from Earth to the moon because of our planet's dense atmosphere and high gravity, but 'not impossible', according to Christian Koeberl, of the University of Vienna.

Scientists think there is a change of finding rock on the moon that contains fossils and Kieren Torres Howard at the City University of New York said that discovering them would be amazing and 'we should hurry back to the moon'. An image of the Earth taken from the moon is pictured

'MISSING LINK' METEORITE FOUND IN SWEDEN COULD ALSO EXPLAIN ORIGINS OF LIFE ON EARTH

This is an illustration of the two asteroids colliding between Jupiter and Mars 470 years ago

Scientists are currently examining a meteorite found in a quarry in Sweden to unravel why Earth thrived in the Ordovician period, 470 million years ago.

The fossilised space rock is thought to be the remains of one of two asteroids that crashed between Jupiter and Mars, the debris of which later bombarded Earth and kick started the variation of life.

While other space rocks have been found at the site, this one could prove to be the 'missing link' and could reveal more about the evolution of life on Earth.

It is thought that the meteorite is one of many that bombarded our planet over 500 million years ago, when a small asteroid crashed into a larger one between Jupiter and Mars.

This impact resulted in the creation of many fragments that eventually bombarded Earth 470 million years ago.

These fragments are known as L chrondrites, and they are the second most common type of meteorite on the planet.

It's believed these impacts may have kick started the resurgence of biodiversity on planet Earth, when life became more varied and complex.

This occurred during the Ordovician period, prior to which biodiversity had gone through a lull.

However, while the meteorites are thought to be the remains of the larger asteroid, scientists had been puzzled as to why there was no sign of the smaller asteroid. Now they think the sample in Sweden could belong to smaller rock, adding weight to the scientific theory.