New research reveals chemical process that may have sparked life on Earth

New research reveals chemical process that may have sparked life on Earth

University of Alberta geochemists have discovered a missing piece to one of the great mysteries of science — the origin of life on Earth. That fateful spark is believed to have occurred on the ocean’s floor, fuelled by warm, mineral-rich hydrothermal vents. But scientists have long puzzled over how the right fertilizer — particularly the forms of carbon and nitrogen necessary to create and sustain life — could have existed without the benefit of…