It was revealed for the first time that lightning strikes were the cause of the origin of life on Earth

Weather of Arabia - Lightning may be the reason for the beginning of life on Earth, this is what a new study published on Tuesday - March 16 - in the journal Nature Communications , where the study showed for the first time that lightning was likely an important source of phosphorus in the early history of the Earth Thus, the lightning strikes paved the way for the emergence of life on Earth, but how?

The importance of phosphorous in the beginning of life

It is all about the organic materials that phosphorous atoms can make when combined with other biological elements, such as phosphates, which are essential for all life, as phosphate forms the basis of DNA , RNA , and the complex ( ATP ), which is the main source. For energy in cells, it is a major component of bones, teeth and cell membranes.

But about 4 billion years ago, most of the natural phosphorous on the planet was bound to insoluble rocks, and it was impossible to enter them in organophosphates. How then did Earth acquire these important compounds?

Where did the Earth get its natural phosphorous?

One theory is that early Earth obtained phosphorous from meteorites that carry a mineral called Schreibersite , which is partly made of phosphorous and is soluble in water. The new study showed that if large quantities of Shrewersy meteorites collide with Earth over millions or billions of years, then enough phosphorous can be released into a concentrated area to create the conditions for biological life.

However, about 3.5 billion to 4.5 billion years ago, when life appeared on Earth, the meteorite strike rate decreased dramatically, after most of the planets and moons formed in our solar system. But it turns out in the study that there is another way to make the "Shripersite" mineral that contains phosphorous here on Earth. All it takes is a few trillions of lightning strikes.

How did lightning contribute to the emergence of life on Earth?

Lightning strikes can heat surfaces to about 2760 ° C , which leads to the formation of new minerals that did not exist before.

In the new study, the researchers examined a rocky mass called "fulgurite" resulting from lightning strikes on the earth, and the research team found that small balls of "Shripersite" mineral formed inside the rock, along with a group of other glass minerals.

(A picture of a sample of "Fulgurite" rock that was studied, which results from lightning striking the ground)

This was tentative evidence that lightning strikes could create the phosphorous mineral "sherbesite". The team then had to calculate whether the lightning that struck Earth early enough to release a large amount of phosphorus into the environment , by using samples from the atmosphere. Earth's early atmosphere, to estimate the number of lightning strikes that may have struck the planet each year.

Were the flashes of lightning at the beginning of the earth sufficient to contribute to the emergence of life on earth?

These days, about 560 million lightning flashes over the earth every year, but 4 billion years ago when the Earth's atmosphere was richer in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, and thus was hotter and more vulnerable to thunderstorms, it is likely that between 1 billion and 1 billion years ago. 5 billion lightning flashes occurred every year, and the team estimated that between 100 million and 1 billion of these flashes hit Earth each year, with the rest being discharged over the oceans.

That is, about a quintillion (1 followed by 18 zeros) of lightning strikes struck our young planet over a billion years, each emitting a little usable phosphorous, and according to the study, between 4.5 billion and 3.5 billion years ago, the lightning strikes alone may have supplied Earth has between 110 to 11,000 kilograms of phosphorous annually.

The researchers concluded that the combination of the effects of asteroids and lightning strikes lightning gave the ground in the end you need phosphorus to weave the first basic vital molecules, such as DNA (DNA) and RNA (RNA), and boot to life on Earth.