Have you ever wondered about how life first began?
The origin of life is among the greatest unsolved mysteries in science.
The journey begins amongst volcanoes, icy lakes, geysers, and impact craters, generating the conditions for life to appear. Meet the chemical ingredients of life and discover the recipes behind life’s building blocks. Join our scientists delving into the primordial soup, building the first biomolecules, and assembling the primordial cells that kicked off biology.
You can see a version of this video with subtitles and further information on our Resources page
Want to make your own volcanic lava cake, meteorite meatballs or primordial lentil soup?
Feel like quenching your thirst with a prebiotic spritz, gene & tonic or molecular mojito?
Have a look at our recipe cards to find out how.
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Meet the team
This exhibit was developed for the 2019 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition by a collaboration between scientists in the groups of Philipp Holliger and John Sutherland at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. These groups share an interest in the chemistry behind the origin of life and the possibility to use increased understanding to evolve and design new synthetic biologies.
