Origins of Life Research: The Conundrum between Laboratory and Field Simulations of Messy Environments

Most experimental results that guide research related to the origin of life are from laboratory simulations of the early Earth conditions. In the laboratory, emphasis is placed on the purity of reagents and carefully controlled conditions, so there is a natural tendency to reject impurities and lack of control. However, life did not originate in laboratory conditions; therefore, we should take into consideration multiple factors that are likely to have contributed to the environmental complexity of the early Earth. This essay describes eight physical and biophysical factors that spontaneously resolve aqueous dispersions of ionic and organic solutes mixed with mineral particles and thereby promote specific chemical reactions required for life to begin.