this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2026
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[โ€“] gary_host_laptop@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

With initial life forms are we talking about LUCA or something that came a bit after? I thought the first life forms would feed from something in the water.

[โ€“] yogthos@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

The key part is having an available energy gradient, and enough chemical variety for self replicating carbon chains to start forming. Pools of water are the dominant theory right now because the idea is that having solvent allows for free molecular movement, and if there was variation with them partially drying out, then they'd act as concentrators pushing these molecules closer together and making these reactions more propabable.