Understanding the Origin of Life on Earth and Its Implications

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The speakers discuss the varying opinions on the origin of life on Earth, presenting the hypothesis that hydrothermal vents on the early Earth could explain the existence of cells and the use of carbon and electrical charges in life's processes. They highlight the challenges faced in conducting experiments to support this hypothesis, but express optimism about the research's promising direction and emphasize the importance of understanding life on Earth before exploring life elsewhere.

Nick Lane is a biochemist at UCL and author of Transformer, The Vital Question, and many other amazing books on biology, chemistry, and life. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(05:45) – Origin of life
(19:31) – Panspermia
(25:05) – What is life?
(38:20) – Photosynthesis
(41:55) – Prokaryotic vs eukaryotic cells
(51:56) – Sex
(59:39) – DNA
(1:06:51) – Violence
(1:17:25) – Human evolution
(1:23:21) – Neanderthals
(1:26:53) – Sensory inputs
(1:37:43) – Consciousness
(2:09:17) – AI and biology
(2:38:36) – Evolution
(2:59:07) – Fermi paradox
(3:12:27) – Cities
(3:20:14) – Depression
(3:22:50) – Writing
(3:30:49) – Advice for young people
(3:37:57) – Earth