Scientists at Newcastle University have uncovered one of the reasons for the origin of life 3.5 billion years ago. According to a study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, the mixing of hydrogen, bicarbonate and iron-rich magnetite in hydrothermal vents leads to the formation of various organic molecules, including fatty acids.
Fatty acids play an important role in the formation of cell membranes because their molecules have hydrophilic and hydrophobic sites, causing them to spontaneously form hollow organic bubbles in water. This property is thought to have led to the first cells within which chains of biochemical reactions took place. However, it was unclear how fatty acids arose in the early stages of abiogenesis.
