concept

origin of life

Also known as: OoL, origins of life, origin of life on Earth, origination of life

Facts (23)

Sources

Do Extremophiles on Earth Mean That Life Is Common in the Galaxy ... reasons.org Reasons to Believe Nov 22, 2019 5 facts

claimEvidence indicates that life emerged only once during Earth's 4.5-billion-year history.

perspectiveThe author posits that life's origin and adaptive ability are products of a Creator's mind.

perspectiveIf life had a reasonable probability of originating in extreme environments, scientists would expect to find multiple origins of life and a variety of chemical and information systems in Earth's extremophiles, but only one form of life is observed.

claimExtremophiles provide little or no information regarding the conditions under which the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) originated.

perspectiveThere is no evidence to suggest that RNA/DNA cells spontaneously originate in Earth's extreme environments, as biological adaptation is distinct from the origination of life.

Prebiotic chemistry and origin of living beings - Frontiers frontiersin.org Frontiers Feb 3, 2026 3 facts

referenceRNA folding studies inside peptide-rich droplets reveal roles of modified nucleosides at the origin of life, as detailed in a 2023 study published in Science Advances.

referencePapineau et al. (2023) proposed a prebiotic model for the origin of life based on self-similar patterns derived from abiotic decarboxylation metabolism through chemically oscillating reactions.

referenceNitash et al. (2017) explored the origin of life within a digital microcosm in a study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A.

Planetary protection: an international concern and responsibility frontiersin.org Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences May 29, 2023 2 facts

referenceProtecting extraterrestrial environments from terrestrial contamination preserves unique opportunities to study the origin of life that are no longer available on Earth, as noted by Coustenis et al. (2022g).

quoteThe Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) defines a Category II target as a body where “there is significant interest relative to the process of chemical evolution and the origin of life, but where there is only a remote chance that contamination carried by a spacecraft could compromise future investigations.”

Hypothetical types of biochemistry - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Wikipedia 2 facts

claimThe idea of liquid ammonia as an alternative solvent for life was raised by J. B. S. Haldane at a symposium about the origin of life in 1954.

referenceA. Graham Cairns-Smith wrote the book 'Seven Clues to the Origin of Life', published by Cambridge University Press in 1985.

Extremophilies as Models for Extraterrestrial Life - aspbooks.org aspbooks.org Seckbach, Joseph · ASP 2 facts

claimFossilized bacteria on Earth provide a basis for speculation regarding the Origin of Life.

claimThermophilic environments may represent the cradle of the Origin of Life.

Alien life may not be carbon-based, new study suggests | Space space.com Space.com Sep 23, 2023 2 facts

quoteBetül Kaçar stated: "One of the major reasons that origin-of-life researchers care about autocatalysis is because reproduction — a key feature of life — is an example of autocatalysis. Life catalyzes the formation of more life. One cell produces two cells, which can become four and so on. As the number of cells multiply, the number and diversity of possible interactions multiplies accordingly."

claimResearchers in a new study searched for autocatalysis beyond organic compounds to understand how it might drive abiogenesis, the origin of life from lifelessness.

The Lunar Clock Beneath the Waves: How Marine Life Runs on ... bioneers.org Bioneers Jul 16, 2025 1 fact

claimThe ability of organisms to tell time by the Moon has genetic underpinnings that likely date back to the origin of life.

The cognitive neuroscience of self-awareness: Current framework ... pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov PubMed 1 fact

referenceArtime and De Domenico (2022) explored emergent phenomena in complex systems, ranging from the origin of life to pandemics, in their paper 'From the origin of life to pandemics: Emergent phenomena in complex systems' published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A.

If we made contact with aliens, how would religions react? - BBC bbc.com Brandon Ambrosino · BBC Dec 16, 2016 1 fact

claimCarl Sagan claimed that the origin of life on suitable planets seems built into the chemistry of the Universe.

Life on the Edge: Bioprospecting Extremophiles for Astrobiology link.springer.com Springer May 19, 2023 1 fact

referenceMatsuno K and Imai E published 'Hydrothermal vent origin of life models' in the Encyclopedia of Astrobiology in 2015.

Extraterrestrial life - Inters.org inters.org Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Religion and Science 1 fact

claimScience cannot determine if the origin of life is a categorical imperative or a highly improbable event because the ultimate reasons for the origin of life are unknown.

Chapter: 12 Question 9: Insights from Terrestrial Life nationalacademies.org National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 1 fact

referenceSmith et al. (2021) published 'The Grayness of the Origin of Life' in the journal Life, exploring the ambiguity surrounding the origins of life.

Microbes Reveal Clues About Extraterrestrial Life | The Brink bu.edu Natalie Lett · Boston University Apr 16, 2025 1 fact

claimJeffrey J. Marlow studies extremophile microbial communities in the hope of gaining insights into the origins of life.