A New Picture of the Early Earth

New York Times article discussing the latest evidence on the Hadean Aeon (4.5-3.8 Gya) being relatively less nasty than previously believed…

A New Picture of the Early Earth

…with the possibility of oceans, plate tectonics, even Life dating back to c.4.4 Gya. The colder, even chilly Earth that has emerged is potentially just what the Doctor ordered when it comes to Life’s Origins, as this “Discover” Magazine article explains…

Did Life Evolve in Ice?

…organic molecules concentrated into little frozen pockets inside ice do amazing things. Stanley Miller, he who created organics in a spark-gap vessel back in 1953, researched what those organics would do in ice for over 20 years. Now it seems his original samples have been doing amazing things in their vials too… New Results from a 1953 Experiment Offer Hints to the Origin of Life …forming more complicated chemicals than anyone expected. But how do those organics get enough energy to make the leap to more complexity? The Hadean was well known as “The Hell Age” because of its massive meteorite impacts, but new work reveals such events have a bright side… Devastating Meteorite Strikes May Have Created Earth’s First Organic Molecules …thus providing another means to create complex organic chemicals.

Finally the “New York Times” article above mentions a carbon isotope imbalance in ancient diamonds that might hint at Life 4.25 Gya… The Earth’s Oldest Diamonds May Show Evidence of Earliest Life. Whether that claim is verified or not will require better dating and actual microfossils before everyone is convinced.