Scientists Propose New Theory for How Life on Earth Began. Scientists generally agree that all life must have evolved from single-celled organisms that first emerged around 3.8 billion years ago. But how this first form of life emerged is subject of much debate. Ref. Source 9w.
This is interesting. I remember not too long ago I saw a show where they recreated the primordial sludge scientists thought life arose from, added some electricity to simulate an intense lightning storm, and scientist conjecturing this is what kick started life on this planet. I wonder what kick started this process. Was it just happenstance?
Molecular evolution: How the building blocks of life may form in space. In an experiment that mimics astrophysical conditions, with cryogenic temperatures in an ultrahigh vacuum, scientists used an electron gun to irradiate thin sheets of ice covered in basic molecules of methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide, the building blocks of life. The experiment tested how the combination of electrons and basic matter leads to more complex biomolecule forms -- and perhaps eventually to life forms. Source 7j.