• Question: Where did life start?

    Asked by ExplosiveBiskit to Aaron, David, Elaine, Sarah, Zoe on 12 Nov 2014. This question was also asked by Ashley B..
    • Photo: David Foley

      David Foley answered on 12 Nov 2014:

      Good question – and many people have different opinions as to the answer.

      It is possible life was “seeded” on this planet by a comet or meteor impact that carried some microorganisms on it.

      Alternatively it is also possible that life arose here by itself. Chemists have recreated what they believe the conditions were in early Earth and been able to make surprisingly complex molecules from simple starting materials – the sort of molecules we find in our bodies today. They have also been to suggest reasons why we favour ribose and glucose over the other sugars, why we have L-amino acids but D-sugars and many other wonderful things.

      Google the work of John Sutherland (a Prof. during my time in Macnhester now based at the MRC in Cambridge) to learn more.

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