Ancient sky may have provided ingredients for life
The ancient sky on earth could have had a role in the beginning of life on our planet, a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found. Researchers from CU Boulder and their collaborators report that the atmosphere of the young earth billions of years ago could have generated sulphur-based molecules.
These molecules are known to be important components for life on the planet. The discovery challenges the belief that these molecules only formed after life had already appeared.
“Our study could help us understand the evolution of life at its earliest stages,” first author Nate Reed, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA who conducted the research said. Reed conducted the study while working in the Department of Chemistry and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU Boulder in Colorado.
Sulphur is vital in every form of life on earth, from single-cellular organisms to whales. It is found in amino acids which act as the basic building blocks of proteins. While it was present in the ancient sky, most researchers believe that organic sulphur molecules, including amino acids, only appeared after life had begun to produce them.
Attempts at simulating the conditions of a young earth have not provided meaningful amounts of sulphur biomolecules before life appeared. When they did appear they formed only under unusual or specific conditions that were unlikely to be common everywhere on the planet.
When the James Webb Space Telescope detected dimethyl sulphide, a sulphur compound produced by marine algae here, on an exoplanet, K2-18b, many in the scientific community were excited, seeing it as a potential sign of life there.
Stay tuned to EyeOnLondon for the latest news and expert opinions.
Follow us on:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos and updates!
We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!
