New research suggests that lightning strikes on early Earth may have played a crucial role in the emergence of life.
By Yahya Chaudhry
New research suggests that lightning strikes on early Earth may have played a crucial role in the emergence of life. Scientists from Harvard have replicated the conditions of Earth four billion years ago to explore how lightning-induced plasma could have transformed inert gases like carbon dioxide and nitrogen into reactive compounds necessary for life. Their findings reveal that these lightning strikes could have generated high concentrations of essential molecules, such as carbon monoxide and nitrates, providing the raw materials needed for life to develop. This discovery not only adds a new dimension to our understanding of life’s origins on Earth but also hints at the potential for similar processes on other planets.