Where Did Life Begin? Testing Ideas in Prebiotic Analogue Conditions

Publications related to the origin of life are mostly products of laboratory research and have the tacit assumption that the same reactions would have been possible on the early Earth some 4 billion years ago. Can this assumption be tested? We cannot go back in time, but we are able to venture out of the laboratory and perform experiments in natural conditions that are presumably analogous to the prebiotic environment. This brief review describes initial attempts to undertake such studies and some of the lessons we have learned.

Automated summary

Publications related to the origin of life are mainly based on lab research with the assumption that similar reactions could have occurred on early Earth. To test this assumption, scientists have conducted experiments in natural conditions similar to prebiotic environments, leading to valuable lessons learned.