Primordial surf: ‘microlightning’ in mist may have sparked life on Earth, study finds

Tiny lightning streaks in fine spray can power chemical reactions that generate molecules for life, scientists say

Charles Darwin thought it started in a warm pond. Others point to comets that ploughed into Earth. And some suspect a bolt from the blue, a lightning strike into the ocean.

How life started on Earth may forever be a mystery, but new research proposes a radical idea: that crashing waves and waterfalls may have kicked off the process by throwing up mists of water.