Wrinkles on the moon could reveal secrets regarding devastating impacts that also ravaged Earth and other planets in their early days.

These impacts could have scoured life from the young Earth—but they might have also planted the ingredients for life as well, scientists said today at a European conference.

The researchers focused on giant basins on the moon believed to be wounds from the “lunar cataclysm,” a time 3.8 billion to 4.2 billion years ago when the moon suffered heavy bombardment from asteroids or comets. There are roughly 50 recognizable lunar basins more than 186 miles (300 kilometers) wide, most of which are thought to date from then.