We may be starting to get a grasp on what kick-started life on Earth – and it could help us search for it on other planets ...

The complete life cycle is shown below. To see each of the three steps more slowly, and to learn exactly what's happening in each, click on the three thumbnail images below.

By exposing organic molecules to repeated wet-dry cycles, researchers observed ... the molecular complexity needed for life to emerge. To simulate early Earth, the team subjected chemical mixtures ...