Final answer:
Scientists still consider water-logged asteroids as significant contributors to Earth's water origins, particularly during the heavy bombardment period that brought ice-rich debris to the inner planets, including Earth. The correct option is D.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on new studies, scientists continue to attribute a significant role to water-logged asteroids in contributing to Earth's water origins. These celestial bodies, along with comets, are believed to have impacted Earth, delivering water and various organic compounds critical to the formation of life. It is understood that Earth's water could have come from several sources, including interstellar grains, water incorporated into the rocky material at Earth's formation, and the late heavy bombardment by icy objects from the outer regions of the solar system.
Current evidence suggests that Earth's atmosphere and oceans came from a mix of outgassing from its interior and the impacts from cometary and asteroidal bodies. While water may have been present at Earth's formation, the significant bombardment period that brought water-rich debris to the inner planets, including Earth, is considered a key phase in the accumulation of Earth's water, making option D the most supported by current scientific understanding.