A new study, published in Nature Communications, has revealed that the emergence of life on Earth may have been dependent on the development of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics is the process by which the Earth’s outer layer is slowly moved around through the continuous motion of its plates.

The new research studied the ancient environment on Earth and the chemical conditions that were necessary for the emergence of life. The findings showed that plate tectonics were required for the creation of an environment that could support the necessary chemical processes. This is because the process of plate tectonics is what created the conditions that allowed for the chemical building blocks of life to form. Plate tectonics also created the right temperature and pressure conditions that allowed for the formation of the right kind of atmosphere, which in turn allowed for the formation of the essential molecules of life.

This groundbreaking research sheds new light on the development of life on Earth and suggests that plate tectonics was a crucial factor in the emergence of life.

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source: Phys.org