1.1 THE ROOT OF EVERYTHING
LIFE’S RECIPES
The key to all science is undoubtedly the question mark.
The origin of life has long captivated scientists. Can the answer be found in a laboratory?
While scientific experiments have yet to provide definitive answers, they allow us to uncover structural details and formulate hypotheses – effectively creating and blending known ‘recipes.’ This is how this remarkable ‘cookbook’ is written. Shall we explore its most brilliant pages?
‘Primordial Soup’
Alexander Oparin, The Origin of Life (1924)
John Haldane, The Origin of Life (1929)
Hypothesis: Driven by solar radiation and electrical discharges, water molecules and mineral compounds in the ancient ocean synthesized into organic matter. This formed a ‘primordial soup’ in which life ultimately emerged.
‘Primordial Pizza’
John Maynard Smith and Eörs Szathmáry, The Major Transitions in Evolution (1995)
Hypothesis: Life originated as a thin layer of organic molecules organized on clay surfaces composed of microscopic aluminosilicate sheets. The minerals within the clay may have also served as catalysts for early biochemical reactions.
‘Primordial Mayonnaise’
Harold Morowitz, Mayonnaise and the Origin of Life: Thoughts of Minds and Molecules (1985)
Hypothesis: Clusters of self-replicating biomolecules – specifically ribonucleic acid (RNA) – were isolated from the environment within lipid vesicles, which functioned as primordial cell membranes.