The setting for the origin of life: a geological– geochemical perspective

Abstract

There are many different scientific aspects involved in the challenge of understanding the origin of life (OoL). These include organic geochemistry – how to make RNA and DNA molecules from the simple organic building blocks delivered from space in the form of amino acids and some other compounds. Other aspects involve the study of inorganic geochemistry – how elements are made available to promote organic molecule complexification, under what conditions will lipid membranes form and how to bring together the different components that make a functioning cell.