origin of life
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Building Blocks of RNA Spotted at the Centre of the Milky Way
A team of researchers say they’ve found some building blocks of RNA in a molecular cloud close to the centre of the Milky Way. The discovery has implications for theories about how life began on Earth — and perhaps elsewhere.
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This Meteorite-Munching Microbe Might Explain How Life Emerged On Earth
Meteorites are an unappreciated food source for a specific metal-loving microorganism, according to new research. The finding could reveal an entirely new chemistry that facilitated the emergence of life on Earth—or possibly even how life got here in the first place.
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Fool’s Gold Suggests Ancient Life In ‘Oxygen Oases’ Far Before There Was Atmospheric Oxygen
You wouldn’t survive a stint on the hellish early Earth that existed between 2.5 billion and four billion years ago. There was almost no breathable free oxygen, for one thing. But scientists may have located an ancient oxygen oasis that existed prior to whatever event first oxygenated our atmosphere.
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Scientists Claim To Have Found Our Planet’s Oldest Fossils
An international team of researchers say they have found fossils dating back to at least 3.77 billion years ago, making them the oldest fossils ever found on our planet. The discovery, though sure to attract scrutiny, has implications for our understanding of how life got started on Earth — and how it may have emerged…