UV Light and Chemical Evolution
The role of ultraviolet (UV) light in shaping the origin of life is gaining renewed interest. On early Earth, intense UV radiation from the young Sun bathed the planet, sparking powerful chemical reactions in the atmosphere and on land. Recent laboratory experiments show that UV light can help assemble complex organic molecules from simpler building blocks, acting as a natural catalyst. These findings suggest that sunlight itself may have been a critical driver in life’s chemical evolution.