2024-08-12 20:44:00
The origin of life is one of the great enigmas of the world, as science still cannot explain with certainty how the first organisms came to life on Earth.
Multiple studies have shown that these first organisms existed from life blocks constructed with proteins, fundamental molecules for life. But, how were these life blocks formed?
Some theories suggest that molecules may have arrived from outer space with asteroids, while others are based on the idea that the life blocks were formed on the Earth’s own surface.
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However, a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that thunderstorms may have played a significant role in this process.
Specifically, it concerns cloud-to-ground lightning, atmospheric electrical discharges that contributed to shaping minerals and nutrients necessary for the formation of life blocks.
In the study, scientists from Harvard University recreated the environment of the Earth in its early phases and artificially induced lightning under these conditions. They then analyzed the outcome of these phenomena and observed how certain compounds were produced.
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The carbon, with the lightning, was converted into carbon monoxide and formic acid. The nitrogen, on the other hand, was converted into nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia.
Sulfide minerals and ammonia were also formed in the experiment from the electrical discharges. These elements have proven to be crucial for the life of organisms.
“Cloud-to-ground lightning could have allowed minerals in the soil to participate in plasma electrochemical reactions through air-water-solid interfaces, adjusting chemical selectivity and forming high concentrations of useful products that could accumulate further on land, in lakes, and in oceans,” the research mentions.
“Lightning-induced plasma electrochemistry could have generated high concentrations of nitrogen and carbon-containing raw materials locally,” it adds.
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With this study, Harvard scientists advanced one step further in the research on the origins of life.
Eventually, these investigations aim to understand whether the process for forming life blocks can be replicated on other planets with totally different conditions, or instead, discover which planets meet the conditions to be habitable.
(I)