{"id":20194,"date":"2025-03-17T22:48:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T22:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=20194"},"modified":"2025-03-17T22:48:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T22:48:21","slug":"microlightning-in-water-droplets-could-be-key-to-lifes-origin-on-earth-new-study-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/microlightning-in-water-droplets-could-be-key-to-lifes-origin-on-earth-new-study-suggests\/","title":{"rendered":"Microlightning in Water Droplets Could Be Key to Life&#8217;s Origin on Earth, New Study Suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">Life on Earth might not have started with a dramatic lightning strike, but rather through thousands of microlightning exchanges among water droplets. Stanford University researchers discovered this reaction forms vital organic molecules, challenging long-held theories about life\u2019s inception.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The origins of life on Earth may trace back not to a grand lightning strike into the primordial ocean but to countless tiny bolts of &#8220;microlightning&#8221; occurring within water droplets from crashing waves or waterfalls, new research from Stanford University suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adt8979\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Published<\/a> in the journal Science Advances, the study demonstrates that these microelectric discharges can produce organic molecules with carbon-nitrogen bonds, including uracil \u2014 a fundamental component of DNA and RNA. This revelation adds depth to the Miller-Urey hypothesis, which has long postulated that life&#8217;s building blocks were created by lightning strikes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Microelectric discharges between oppositely charged water microdroplets make all the organic molecules observed previously in the Miller-Urey experiment, and we propose that this is a new mechanism for the prebiotic synthesis of molecules that constitute the building blocks of life,&#8221; senior author Richard Zare, the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor of Natural Science and professor of chemistry in Stanford\u2019s School of Humanities and Sciences, said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For over 2 billion years after Earth&#8217;s formation, the planet had a mixture of chemicals but lacked organic molecules with carbon-nitrogen bonds, essential for proteins, enzymes and other biological compounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> The Miller-Urey experiment offered one explanation for how these molecules formed, suggesting that lightning striking the ocean interacted with atmospheric gases like methane, ammonia and hydrogen. However, critics argue that lightning was too sporadic and the ocean too vast for this solution to be practical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Stanford team \u2014 including postdoctoral scholars Yifan Meng and Yu Xia, and graduate student Jinheng Xu \u2014 proposes an alternative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They investigated how water droplets develop different charges when dispersed through sprays or splashes. Larger droplets often carry positive charges, while smaller ones carry negative. When these oppositely charged droplets collide, they create sparks or &#8220;microlightning.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using high-speed cameras, the researchers captured these tiny yet potent flashes of light. They demonstrated the energy produced by spraying room-temperature water into a gas mixture reminiscent of early Earth&#8217;s atmosphere. This mixture included nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide and ammonia, and the results confirmed the formation of organic molecules like hydrogen cyanide, the amino acid glycine and uracil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;On early Earth, there were water sprays all over the place \u2014 into crevices or against rocks, and they can accumulate and create this chemical reaction,&#8221; added Zare. &#8220;I think this overcomes many of the problems people have with the Miller-Urey hypothesis.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond this groundbreaking discovery, Zare&#8217;s team is also examining the potential of water microdroplets in other chemical reactions, such as the production of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We usually think of water as so benign, but when it&#8217;s divided in the form of little droplets, water is highly reactive,&#8221; Zare added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This study received support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:13px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.stanford.edu\/stories\/2025\/03\/microlightning-in-water-droplets-may-have-sparked-life-on-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Stanford University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The origins of life on Earth may trace back not to a grand lightning strike into the primordial ocean but to countless tiny bolts of &#8220;microlightning&#8221; occurring within water droplets from crashing waves or waterfalls, new research from Stanford University suggests. Published in the journal Science Advances, the study demonstrates that these microelectric discharges can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[53],"class_list":["post-20194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-universe","tag-stanford-university"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The origins of life on Earth may trace back not to a grand lightning strike into the primordial ocean but to countless tiny bolts of &#8220;microlightning&#8221; occurring within water droplets from crashing waves or waterfalls, new research from Stanford University suggests. Published in the journal Science Advances, the study demonstrates that these microelectric discharges can&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20194"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20299,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20194\/revisions\/20299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}