Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Conditions on Early Earth

Conditions on Early Earth

Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.

Conditions on Early Earth

Conditions on Early Earth

Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.

Origin of Photosynthesis

Origin of Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis represents a fundamental biological process that transformed Earth's atmosphere and paved the way for complex life. Emerging roughly 3.4–3.8 billion years ago, the earliest photosynthetic organisms harnessed light energy to produce organic compounds. These anoxygenic phototrophs used electron donors like hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) or ferrous iron (Fe²⁺), rather than water, and did not release molecular oxygen (O₂) as a byproduct. Various groups, including green sulfur and purple...

Origin of Cellular Life

Origin of Cellular Life

The origin of life on Earth is a complex and enigmatic event rooted in ancient biochemical processes and geological conditions. Experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that life began with the spontaneous formation of organic molecules such as RNA nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids under early Earth conditions. Factors like volcanic activity, intense UV radiation, and a reducing atmosphere without free oxygen likely facilitated these reactions. Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor are...

What is Evolutionary History?

What is Evolutionary History?

Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.Phylogenetic trees illustrate the evolutionary relationships among these organisms. Scientists infer organisms’ common ancestry by evaluating shared morphological and genetic characteristics. Together, the fossil...

Escape Velocities of Gases

Escape Velocities of Gases

To escape the Earth's gravity, an object near the top of the atmosphere at an altitude of 100 km must travel away from Earth at 11.1 km/s. This speed is called the escape velocity. The temperature at which gas molecules attain the rms speed, which is equal to the escape velocity, can be estimated by using the equation for the average kinetic energy of the gas molecules. According to the kinetic theory of gas, the average kinetic energy of the gas molecules is proportional to its temperature.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Needle Thoracostomy: Implications of Chest Wall Thickness for Anatomical Location and Needle Length.

Annals of emergency medicine·2026

Same author

Regeneration of the semitendinosus tendon and muscle after isolated semitendinosus harvest for primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A systematic review.

Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA·2026

Same author

Mechanisms of CD4+ T tolerance to a corneal epithelial neoantigen.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Investigating conjunctival immune pathways in Sjögren and non-Sjögren disease associated dry eye.

The ocular surface·2026

Same author

Autoimmune CD4 <sup>+</sup> T cells Cause Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Positive end-expiratory pressure optimisation during general anaesthesia in patients with obesity: a narrative review of respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes.

British journal of anaesthesia·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment

Published on: February 27, 2021

Earth's earliest atmospheres.

Kevin Zahnle¹, Laura Schaefer, Bruce Fegley

¹Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-3, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA. kevin.j.zahnle@nasa.gov

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

|June 25, 2010

Summary

Early Earth

Area of Science:

Planetary Science
Astrobiology
Geochemistry

Background:

Earth is the only known inhabited planet and the likely origin site of life.
The Moon-forming impact critically influenced Earth's habitability and evolution.
Understanding early Earth conditions is key to understanding life's origin.

Purpose of the Study:

To discuss the origin of Earth's atmosphere and ocean.
To explore early Earth's environmental conditions relevant to life's origin.
To analyze the consequences of the Moon-forming impact.

Main Methods:

Review of geological and planetary science literature.
Analysis of impact models and atmospheric composition.
Thermodynamic and chemical evolution modeling.

More Related Videos

Conducting Miller-Urey Experiments

Conducting Miller-Urey Experiments

Published on: January 21, 2014

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Published on: November 15, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment

Published on: February 27, 2021

Conducting Miller-Urey Experiments

Conducting Miller-Urey Experiments

Published on: January 21, 2014

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Published on: November 15, 2013

Main Results:

The Moon-forming impact devolatized the mantle, concentrating volatiles at the surface.
Early atmospheres were likely reducing and volatile-rich, generated by impact degassing.
Conditions favored the presence of CO, methane, hydrogen cyanide, and ammonia.

Conclusions:

Life likely originated on Earth after the Moon-forming impact.
Early Earth's oceans were probably salty from the beginning.
Transient, energy-rich atmospheres provided conditions conducive to prebiotic chemistry.