Researchers have developed a new approach to simulating the energetic processes that may have led to the emergence of cell metabolism on Earth – a crucial biological function for all living organisms.
The research, which is published online today in the journal Astrobiology, could help scientists to understand whether it is possible for life to have emerged in similar environments on other worlds.
Dr Terry Kee from the School of Chemistry at the University of Leeds, one of the co-authors of the research paper, said: "What we are trying to do is to bridge the gap between the geological processes of the early Earth and the emergence of biological life on this planet."
Previously, some scientists have proposed that living organisms may have been transported to Earth by meteorites. Yet there is more support for the theory that life emerged on Earth in places like hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, forming from inanimate matter such as the chemical compounds found in gases and minerals.
"Before biological life, one could say the early Earth had 'geological life'. It may seem unusual to consider geology, involving inanimate rocks and minerals, as being alive. But what is life?" said Dr Kee.
"Many people have failed to come up with a satisfactory answer to this question. So what we have done instead is to look at what life does, and all life forms use the same chemical processes that occur in a fuel cell to generate their energy."
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