Origins of Life

Charles Darwin in 1871 suggested that microbial life originated in some 'warm little pond' full of 'ammonia, phosphoric salts, heat and electricity'. In light of recent discoveries on the origin of life, Charles Darwin's theory appears prescient. In the first half of the 20th century, Alexander Oparin established the 'metabolism first' hypothesis to explain the origin of life. Aligning with this hypothesis, most scientists believe that the first forms of life evolved in the warm vents of ancient seas.