Origins Of Life On Earth
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New Experiments Suggest RNA Could Have Formed Naturally, Supporting ‘RNA World’ Origin of Life Theory
Experiments show RNA, a crucial molecule for life, could form naturally on early Earth with borates stabilising ribose and aiding phosphate production. Protoplanet impacts may have delivered RNA ingredients, supporting the RNA world hypothesis and suggesting life’s building blocks could emerge efficiently on Earth and potentially Mars.
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3.6 Billion Years Old And Counting. Meet Earth's Oldest Mountains
The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains represent something profound: a genuine window into Earth's infancy.
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Crystalline Ice Discovered in Space: New Study Reveals Hidden Order in Cosmic Ice
A groundbreaking study from University College London and the University of Cambridge reveals that water ice in space, long believed to be completely amorphous due to extreme cold, may actually contain up to 25% crystalline structure. Simulations and X-ray diffraction experiments confirm the presence of nanocrystals in so-called low-density amorpho...
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James Webb Telescope Detects Frozen Water In Young Star System For The First Time
This finding has opened up new avenues for understanding the early universe and the origins of water on our planet
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Microlightning in Water Droplets Could Explain the Origin of Life on Earth
Microlightning, tiny electrical discharges occurring in water droplets from crashing waves or waterfalls, may have played a crucial role in forming organic molecules necessary for life. A study published in Science Advances reveals that these sparks can create carbon-nitrogen bonds, challenging the long-standing Miller-Urey hypothesis. Led by Richa...
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Organic Molecules in Space: A Key to Understanding Life's Cosmic Origins
Organic molecules, the building blocks of life, have been discovered across space—from interstellar clouds to asteroids and comets. Findings from missions like Rosetta, Hayabusa2, and Osiris-Rex reveal that these compounds existed long before the Sun formed. Scientists believe organic molecules survived planetary formation in protoplanetary disks...
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Mega Meteorite, 4 Times The Size Of Mount Everest, May Have Sparked Life On Earth: Study
This immense rock slammed into Earth, boiling the oceans and unleashing a record-breaking tsunami.
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Phosphorus Grains in Ryugu Samples Offer Insights into Earth’s Early Life Chemistry
Scientists have discovered phosphorus-rich grains in samples from the asteroid Ryugu, brought back by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission. These grains, thought to have come from the outer Solar System, may have interacted with early Earth’s water, releasing essential nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. This interaction could have played a role in th...
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Discover LUCA: The 4.2 Billion-Year-Old Ancestor of All Life on Earth
Recent research has revealed that LUCA, the last universal common ancestor of all life, lived around 4.2 billion years ago. This new estimate pushes back the timeline for the origin of life by 300 million years. The study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, involved analysis of genes from 700 species of bacteria and archaea, as well as ancien...
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All Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed
A new study estimates that LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor of all life on Earth, existed around 4.2 billion years ago, challenging previous timelines for the origin of life.
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Groundbreaking New Study Finds Life On Earth Emerged 4.2 Billion Years Ago
Earth itself is approximately 4.5 billion years old, indicating life originated when the planet was still in its infancy.
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Canada's Last Chance Lake Has Clues To Origin of Life On Earth: Study
The researchers were drawn towards the Last Chance lake after studying a 1990s unpublished master's thesis that had recorded unusually high levels of phosphate there.
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Origins of Life Explored: Study Points To Ancient Hot Springs As Potential Source
This research not only sheds light on Earth's early life, but also raises the tantalizing possibility that similar processes could be occurring in the frozen seas of distant moons.
-
Origins Of Life On Earth: 4.5 Billion-Year-Old Asteroid Holds Clues
Scientists are hopeful that fragments from a 4.5-billion-year-old space rock will reveal the origins of our existence.
-
Water Drop Discovered on Ryugu Asteroid Offers Clues to Origins of Life on Earth
A water drop discovered on specks of dust from Ryugu, an asteroid close to Earth, has offered new support for the theory that life on the planet was seeded from outer space. The sample of the asteroid retrieved by the Hayabusa-2 probe has already showed that some of the building blocks of life on Earth, amino acids, may have been formed in space. T...
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New Experiments Suggest RNA Could Have Formed Naturally, Supporting ‘RNA World’ Origin of Life Theory
Experiments show RNA, a crucial molecule for life, could form naturally on early Earth with borates stabilising ribose and aiding phosphate production. Protoplanet impacts may have delivered RNA ingredients, supporting the RNA world hypothesis and suggesting life’s building blocks could emerge efficiently on Earth and potentially Mars.
-
3.6 Billion Years Old And Counting. Meet Earth's Oldest Mountains
The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains represent something profound: a genuine window into Earth's infancy.
-
Crystalline Ice Discovered in Space: New Study Reveals Hidden Order in Cosmic Ice
A groundbreaking study from University College London and the University of Cambridge reveals that water ice in space, long believed to be completely amorphous due to extreme cold, may actually contain up to 25% crystalline structure. Simulations and X-ray diffraction experiments confirm the presence of nanocrystals in so-called low-density amorpho...
-
James Webb Telescope Detects Frozen Water In Young Star System For The First Time
This finding has opened up new avenues for understanding the early universe and the origins of water on our planet
-
Microlightning in Water Droplets Could Explain the Origin of Life on Earth
Microlightning, tiny electrical discharges occurring in water droplets from crashing waves or waterfalls, may have played a crucial role in forming organic molecules necessary for life. A study published in Science Advances reveals that these sparks can create carbon-nitrogen bonds, challenging the long-standing Miller-Urey hypothesis. Led by Richa...
-
Organic Molecules in Space: A Key to Understanding Life's Cosmic Origins
Organic molecules, the building blocks of life, have been discovered across space—from interstellar clouds to asteroids and comets. Findings from missions like Rosetta, Hayabusa2, and Osiris-Rex reveal that these compounds existed long before the Sun formed. Scientists believe organic molecules survived planetary formation in protoplanetary disks...
-
Mega Meteorite, 4 Times The Size Of Mount Everest, May Have Sparked Life On Earth: Study
This immense rock slammed into Earth, boiling the oceans and unleashing a record-breaking tsunami.
-
Phosphorus Grains in Ryugu Samples Offer Insights into Earth’s Early Life Chemistry
Scientists have discovered phosphorus-rich grains in samples from the asteroid Ryugu, brought back by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission. These grains, thought to have come from the outer Solar System, may have interacted with early Earth’s water, releasing essential nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. This interaction could have played a role in th...
-
Discover LUCA: The 4.2 Billion-Year-Old Ancestor of All Life on Earth
Recent research has revealed that LUCA, the last universal common ancestor of all life, lived around 4.2 billion years ago. This new estimate pushes back the timeline for the origin of life by 300 million years. The study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, involved analysis of genes from 700 species of bacteria and archaea, as well as ancien...
-
All Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed
A new study estimates that LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor of all life on Earth, existed around 4.2 billion years ago, challenging previous timelines for the origin of life.
-
Groundbreaking New Study Finds Life On Earth Emerged 4.2 Billion Years Ago
Earth itself is approximately 4.5 billion years old, indicating life originated when the planet was still in its infancy.
-
Canada's Last Chance Lake Has Clues To Origin of Life On Earth: Study
The researchers were drawn towards the Last Chance lake after studying a 1990s unpublished master's thesis that had recorded unusually high levels of phosphate there.
-
Origins of Life Explored: Study Points To Ancient Hot Springs As Potential Source
This research not only sheds light on Earth's early life, but also raises the tantalizing possibility that similar processes could be occurring in the frozen seas of distant moons.
-
Origins Of Life On Earth: 4.5 Billion-Year-Old Asteroid Holds Clues
Scientists are hopeful that fragments from a 4.5-billion-year-old space rock will reveal the origins of our existence.
-
Water Drop Discovered on Ryugu Asteroid Offers Clues to Origins of Life on Earth
A water drop discovered on specks of dust from Ryugu, an asteroid close to Earth, has offered new support for the theory that life on the planet was seeded from outer space. The sample of the asteroid retrieved by the Hayabusa-2 probe has already showed that some of the building blocks of life on Earth, amino acids, may have been formed in space. T...
