Now, researchers working in Prague, Czech Republic have managed to create a powerful laser blast that mimics a meteor impact believed to be the source of the building blocks of life on our planet.
So far, scientists have only been able to theorize what started life on Earth as we know it.
Now, researchers working in Prague, Czech Republic, have created a powerful laser blast mimicking a meteor impact believed to be the source of the building blocks of life on our planet.
A 492-foot tall high-powered laser system was shot at a pool full of a chemical called formamide. It is known to exist on tails of comets, and may have existed on Earth four billion years ago.
The laser blast made the material reach nearly 7,640 degrees Fahrenheit, which caused the formamide to break down and recombine.
This reaction created the four basic components of RNA and DNA, which are essential to the formation of life.
The researchers wrote, "These findings suggest that the emergence of terrestrial life is not the result of an accident but a direct consequence of the conditions on the primordial Earth and its surroundings."
According to the lead author of the study, this is the first experiment that tests the theory if life could begin from a space collision.
Other studies have used chemical mixtures and pressure to create bases for RNA, one of the building blocks of life.
