{"id":20,"date":"2019-05-31T15:39:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T14:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/?page_id=20"},"modified":"2019-06-26T10:24:18","modified_gmt":"2019-06-26T09:24:18","slug":"from-molecules","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/the-science\/from-molecules\/","title":{"rendered":"From Molecules &#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The first land on Earth was probably volcanic, forming island arcs in a vast ocean. Springs, ponds, or lakes in volcanic regions were likely environments for jump-starting life.<\/p>\n<p>The early atmosphere had no oxygen. It consisted mainly of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, with smaller amounts of hydrogen, water, and methane.<\/p>\n<p>Lightning, asteroid impacts, and ultraviolet light from the Sun acted on the atmosphere to generate hydrogen cyanide; a compound of hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_194\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-194\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-194\" src=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-1-1024x572.jpg\" alt=\"The early Earth was characterised by volcanic activity, lightning, and asteroid impacts.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-1-1024x572.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-1-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-1-768x429.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-1-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-1.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-194\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The early Earth was characterised by volcanic activity, lightning, and asteroid impacts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Meet the molecules<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-sulphide.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-181 size-smallmed\" src=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-sulphide-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-sulphide-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-sulphide-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-sulphide-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-sulphide-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-sulphide-75x75.png 75w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-sulphide.png 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Hydrogen sulfide (H<sub>2<\/sub>S)<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Formed deep inside the Earth and released in great volcanic eruptions<\/li>\n<li>Smells like rotten eggs and is extremely toxic to humans<\/li>\n<li>Some bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide, while others live off it!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-cyanide.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-180 size-smallmed\" src=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-cyanide-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-cyanide-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-cyanide-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-cyanide-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-cyanide-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-cyanide-75x75.png 75w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Hydrogen-cyanide.png 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Hydrogen cyanide (HCN)<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Formed as meteorites streamed through the atmosphere of the young Earth \u2013 carbon- and nitrogen-containing molecules in the atmosphere were broken apart by the intense heat surrounding the meteorites and then recombined into hydrogen cyanide<\/li>\n<li>Also extremely toxic to humans, but tastes and smells like bitter almonds to some!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/phosphate.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-184 size-smallmed\" src=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/phosphate-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/phosphate-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/phosphate-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/phosphate-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/phosphate-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/phosphate-75x75.png 75w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/phosphate.png 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Phosphate (PO<sub>4<\/sub><sup>3-<\/sup>)<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Formed when phosphorus-containing minerals such as schreibersite were eroded and dissolved away by flowing water<\/li>\n<li>Phosphates are necessary to human, animal and plant life on Earth, so it fortunately doesn\u2019t smell bad and isn\u2019t toxic!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanamide_nitrile_3D_ball.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-186 size-smallmed\" src=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanamide_nitrile_3D_ball-150x97.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"97\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanamide_nitrile_3D_ball-150x97.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanamide_nitrile_3D_ball-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanamide_nitrile_3D_ball-768x495.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanamide_nitrile_3D_ball-1024x659.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanamide_nitrile_3D_ball.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Hydrogen cyanamide (CN<sub>2<\/sub>H<sub>2<\/sub>)<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When hydrogen cyanide came into contact with iron on the planet\u2019s surface, it was able to react to produce a variety of different molecules, including hydrogen cyanamide<\/li>\n<li>Modestly toxic to humans, but used as a fertiliser in agriculture<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanoacetylene-3D-balls.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-185 size-smallmed\" src=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanoacetylene-3D-balls-150x49.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"49\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanoacetylene-3D-balls-150x49.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanoacetylene-3D-balls-300x97.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanoacetylene-3D-balls-768x249.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanoacetylene-3D-balls-1024x332.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/Cyanoacetylene-3D-balls.jpg 1911w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Cyanoacetylene (C<sub>3<\/sub>HN)<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Formed by lightning discharges through the mixture of nitrogen and methane in the atmosphere of the early Earth<\/li>\n<li>Has been detected in interstellar clouds and in the atmosphere of Saturn\u2019s moon Titan!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_187\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-187\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-187\" src=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-2-1024x444.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-2-1024x444.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-2-300x130.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-2-768x333.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-2-150x65.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-2-920x400.jpg 920w, https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/From-molecules-2.jpg 1744w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-187\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some of the simple molecules thought to be fundamental to the origin of life<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Read on to find out more about how early Earth chemistry went from molecules<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/the-science\/to-building-blocks\/\">To building blocks<\/a>\u2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/the-science\/to-life\/\">To life<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first land on Earth was probably volcanic, forming island arcs in a vast ocean. Springs, ponds, or lakes in volcanic regions were likely environments for jump-starting life. The early atmosphere had no oxygen. It consisted mainly of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, with smaller amounts of hydrogen, water, and methane. Lightning, asteroid impacts, and ultraviolet [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-20","page","type-page","status-publish","entry","has-post-thumbnail","gs-1","gs-odd","gs-featured-content-entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249,"href":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20\/revisions\/249"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk\/sites\/recipe4life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}