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Science
Nicolás M. Morato, PhD Candidate in Chemistry, Purdue University

Water was both essential and a barrier to early life on Earth – microdroplets are one potential solution to this paradox

Water microdroplets provide a unique interface that can significantly speed up chemical reactions. Marianna Armata/Moment via Getty Images

It’s a paradox: Life needs water to survive, but a world full of water can’t generate the biomolecules that would have been essential for early life. Or so researchers thought.

Water is everywhere. Most of the human body is made of it, much of planet Earth is covered by it and humans can’t survive more than a couple of days without drinking it. Water molecules have unique characteristics that allow them to dissolve and transport compounds through your body, provide structure to your cells and regulate your temperature. In fact, the basic chemical reactions that enable life as we know it require water, photosynthesis being one example.

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