There was no sun. How life arose on Earth: scientists made an unexpected discovery

A new study by Japanese scientists offers another version of the origin of life on Earth. ScienceAlert writes that researchers suggest that the very young Sun produces very powerful flares, which may trigger the formation of the building blocks from which life forms on Earth.

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So far, scientists know of only one planet where life exists in space – Earth. But what triggered the emergence of chemical reactions that became catalysts for the emergence of life forms on our planet billions of years ago is still unknown.

Lightning and cosmic radiation – catalysts for the emergence of life on Earth

Some researchers have suggested that lightning may have played an important role in this process, when molecules interacted with heat and water to form amino acids, the essential molecules that make up life. Scientists believed that the early Earth’s atmosphere was filled with large amounts of methane, ammonia, water vapor and molecular hydrogen. Therefore, lightning can trigger important chemical reactions.

Later, scientists discovered that early in its history Earth’s atmosphere did not contain much methane and ammonia. Most likely, some methane prevailed, as well as carbon dioxide and molecular nitrogen. These substances have emerged as a result of volcanic eruptions. As studies have shown, lightning in such an environment cannot lead to the formation of amino acids.

After that, scientists suggested that the interaction of cosmic radiation and gases in the Earth’s atmosphere could initiate the amino acid creation process. However, billions of years ago it turned out that cosmic radiation was not enough to create the chemical composition necessary for life.

Another theory of the origin of life on Earth

7 years ago, scientists from NASA came up with a new theory about how life could have arisen on Earth, and it was associated with the activity of the Sun. Our star, about 4 billion years ago, was colder and emitted less radiation, so these conditions were not conducive to the emergence of life on Earth.

Still, scientists have suggested that very powerful flares appear on the Sun, and that this energy flow can reach the Earth, heat it and cause chemical reactions, as a result of which compounds necessary for life are formed.

The sun is behind the emergence of life on Earth.

As part of a new study at Yokohama National University in Japan, scientists decided to test this theory in the lab. On the contrary, it is important to understand that it is now believed that very powerful solar flares can destroy all life on our planet. But a new study by Japanese scientists shows that solar particles from the young Sun collided with molecules in Earth’s early atmosphere and formed the basic building blocks of life.

The scientists recreated a rough simulation of Earth’s early atmosphere and passed rays through it that mimicked solar radiation from high-power solar flares. As a result of interaction with chemicals in this atmosphere, amino acids and carboxylic acids, which are the main components of proteins and living organisms, emerged.

According to the scientists, their experiments showed that, theoretically, cosmic rays and lightning could also play a role in the emergence of life on Earth, but solar activity could play the most important role in this. That is, the formation of the chemical compounds necessary for the emergence of life on Earth was most likely due to powerful energy emissions from the Sun. But so far this is just a theory.

Previously Focus He has already written that astronomers have discovered how the distant Sun, which is the same as our star, is engaged in cosmic cannibalism. So this star destroyed one of its planets at the end of its life. This was the first time astronomers had directly seen what would happen to our Earth 5 billion years from now.

Moreover Focus He wrote that according to one of the studies, life on Earth appeared not once, but several times. This process took place in different parts of the planet.