oa The Formation of Life’s Building Blocks Under the Conditions of Hadean Eon

During the Hadean eon, the emergence of life’s building blocks—amino acids and nucleosides—was critical to the development of early biomolecules. However, the mildly reducing, CO2-rich atmosphere of early Earth presents challenges in explaining their natural formation. This study explores the interaction of simple molecules formed by UV radiation and lightning with volcanic SO2 emissions. The findings reveal that these interactions could produce amino acid and nucleoside precursors in ponds with varying pH levels, even under less extreme conditions than previously thought. These processes required only a few starting molecules, suggesting they could occur on other volcanic planets with CO2-dominated atmospheres. This research highlights the potential central role of volcanic emissions and atmospheric phenomena in life’s origins on Earth and other planets.