Where did it start?
Deep within the rocks of the Earth

Imagine... deep down in the Earth it is dark.  It is warm and it is safe from bombardment by meteorites that hit the planet on a regular basis, melting the outer layers of the planet's crust and sending hot, dense debris into the thick carbon dioxide atmosphere.    There are tiny cracks in the rocks, where oily liquid gathers.  This is forced through the rocks by enormous pressures that are created by the internal heating of the planet by radio-active decay of the elements from which the Earth is made.

In places these fissures in the rock widen out to form tiny pockets or cavities here the oily ousing liquid coats the walls and leaves the interior space to other chemicals which become trapped inside.  These chemicals react with one-another.  New and highly complex molecules form, helped along by the heat.  Inside, a special spiral shaped molecule is making a copy of itself.  The oily cell has structure, it is reproducing, it is interacting with its environment and it is collecting other useful chemicals that ouse through the rock.  Perhaps this is the first living cell!

 

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