Microlightning: A New Clue to Life’s Origins on Earth

Context: Stanford University, published in Science Advances, exploring how life might have begun on Earth. The research introduces "microlightning"—tiny electric sparks in water droplets—as a potential catalyst for creating organic molecules essential for life, offering a fresh perspective on the debated Miller-Urey hypothesis. This scientific advancement sheds light on prebiotic chemistry and Earth’s early conditions.

• Microlightning Concept: Tiny electric sparks, dubbed “microlightning,” form when water droplets split, with larger droplets gaining positive charges and smaller ones negative, triggering discharges when they come close.
• Organic Molecule Formation: Spraying water into a mix of early Earth gases (nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia) produced organic compounds like hydrogen cyanide, glycine, and uracil—building blocks of proteins and RNA.
• Miller-Urey Connection: Builds on the 1952 Miller-Urey experiment, which used electric sparks to mimic lightning and form amino acids, but suggests microlightning from water sprays (e.g., waves, waterfalls) could be a more common trigger.
• Key Finding: Unlike rare lightning strikes, water sprays are ubiquitous, implying a widespread, continuous process for organic synthesis on early Earth, occurring without external electricity.
• Scientific Insight: Led by Stanford chemist Richard Zare, the study shows microlightning mimics cloud lightning on a micro scale, captured via high-speed cameras, revealing its energy potential.
• Earth’s Early Conditions: For billions of years post-formation (4.6 billion years ago), Earth lacked carbon-nitrogen bonds critical for life; microlightning offers a mechanism for their emergence.
• Implications: Suggests life’s origins may stem from countless small reactions rather than a single dramatic event, enhancing our understanding of prebiotic chemistry and planetary evolution.

Link To The Original Article – https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/microlightning-water-droplets-life-earth-9891088/