Is the existence of life on Earth a lucky fluke or an inevitable consequence of the laws of nature? Is it simple for life to emerge on a newly formed planet, or is it the virtually impossible product of a long series of unlikely events? Advances in fields as disparate as astronomy, planetary science and chemistry now hold promise that answers to such profound questions may be around the corner. If life turns out to have emerged multiple times in our galaxy, as scientists are hoping to discover, the path to it cannot be so hard. Moreover, if the route from chemistry to biology proves simple to traverse, the universe could be teeming with life.
The discovery of thousands of exoplanets has sparked a renaissance in origin-of-life studies. In a stunning surprise, almost all the newly discovered solar systems look very different from our own. Does that mean something about our own, very odd, system favors the emergence of life? Detecting signs of life on a planet orbiting a distant star is not going to be easy, but the technology for teasing out subtle “biosignatures” is developing so rapidly that with luck we may see distant life within one or two decades.
To understand how life might begin, we first have to figure out how—and with what ingredients—planets form. A new generation of radio telescopes, notably the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile’s Atacama Desert, has provided beautiful images of protoplanetary disks and maps of their chemical composition. This information is inspiring better models of how planets assemble from the dust and gases of a disk. Within our own solar system, the Rosetta mission has visited a comet, and OSIRIS-REx will visit, and even try to return samples from, an asteroid, which might give us the essential inventory of the materials that came together in our planet.
Once a planet like our Earth—not too hot and not too cold, not too dry and not too wet—has formed, what chemistry must develop to yield the building blocks of life? In the 1950s the iconic Miller-Urey experiment, which zapped a mixture of water and simple chemicals with electric pulses (to simulate the impact of lightning), demonstrated that amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, are easy to make. Other molecules of life turned out to be harder to synthesize, however, and it is now apparent that we need to completely reimagine the path from chemistry to life. The central reason hinges on the versatility of RNA, a very long molecule that plays a multitude of essential roles in all existing forms of life. RNA can not only act like an enzyme, it can also store and transmit information. Remarkably, all the protein in all organisms is made by the catalytic activity of the RNA component of the ribosome, the cellular machine that reads genetic information and makes protein molecules. This observation suggests that RNA dominated an early stage in the evolution of life.
Today the question of how chemistry on the infant Earth gave rise to RNA and to RNA-based cells is the central question of origin-of-life research. Some scientists think that life originally used simpler molecules and only later evolved RNA. Other researchers, however, are tackling the origin of RNA head-on, and exciting new ideas are revolutionizing this once quiet backwater of chemical research. Favored geochemical scenarios involve volcanic regions or impact craters, with complex organic chemistry, multiple sources of energy, and dynamic light-dark, hot-cold and wet-dry cycles. Strikingly, many of the chemical intermediates on the way to RNA crystallize out of reaction mixtures, self-purifying and potentially accumulating on the early Earth as organic minerals—reservoirs of material waiting to come to life when conditions change.
THE JOURNEY
Assuming that key problem is solved, we will still need to understand how RNA was replicated within the first primitive cells. Researchers are just beginning to identify the sources of chemical energy that could enable the RNA to copy itself, but much remains to be done. If these hurdles can also be overcome, we may be able to build replicating, evolving RNA-based cells in the laboratory—recapitulating a possible route to the origin of life.
What next? Chemists are already asking whether our kind of life can be generated only through a single plausible pathway or whether multiple routes might lead from simple chemistry to RNA-based life and on to modern biology. Others are exploring variations on the chemistry of life, seeking clues as to the possible diversity of life “out there” in the universe. If all goes well, we will eventually learn how robust the transition from chemistry to biology is and therefore whether the universe is full of life-forms or—but for us—sterile.
Illustration by Matthew Twombly
SUCCESS STORIES
Do you ever ask what it takes to turn an idea into a reality?
Are these successes based on pure talent or is there a successful recipe that can help us achieve our dreams?
In fact, I would like to note that each of the great success stories are based on commitment, determination and willingness to fail and rise again.
You get to only view the epitome of success-the successful businessman or businesswoman, the technology giant, the sportsman, the social activist-Little do you realise that success comes with a price.
All of these people quit college, struggled to start again after failure, or began anew after being beaten back multiple times – these life changing stories are replete with moments that would turn any man to a quitter.
However, what defines greatness in these leaders is their determination to achieve their goals despite the odds stacked against them.
Here, we are going to explore 15 extraordinary stories of an ordinary person who turned into extraordinary performers. All of their stories are helpful in understanding inspiring experiences of successful people, especially the determination with which they turn challenges into future success.
Ready to get inspired?
Their stories of hope and triumph are a lifelong narrative that has inspired many into new determinative success paths, so let’s discover them.
1. Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is one among the famous personalities who brought into light the much famous brand called “Apple” which actually doesn’t require any introduction!
He dropped college after the first semester and went to Atari and saved money to start his own company. After that, alongside the talented engineer Steve Wozniak, he founded Apple in 1976.
Despite all the difficulties and failures, Steve remained the major driving force to turn this company into one of the most significant and valuable tech companies worldwide.
This incredibly talented man made an immeasurable difference in the industry and also the way we use technology in our daily lives – he is one of the most genuine pioneers that can be named who greatly influenced the progress of the industry and will be remembered for that for centuries.
2. Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison was the most exceptional scientist of the late nineteenth-century and the bulb’s inventor.
In his childhood he started his own business when he was 12 years old, he started selling newspapers and fruits which were suggestive of his future expertise in managing resources.
Setting up his laboratory in New York he toiled and sweated in the field of science and invention. In the course of inventing the light bulb before it was fully realised, Edison suffered a number of defeats, the reality of which have thousand failures.
Some of his dedication to experimentation and discovery set him apart from others, and therefore, he became light’s bearer and an invincible force in the invention realm.
3. Bill Gates
The name that is associated with advanced technological invention and the spirit of giving is Bill Gates. Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft Company which has played a crucial role in changing the face of personal computing, by bringing out cheap and easy to use software to the market.
The kid was probably a smart one, a young programmer enthusiast who had left Harvard University to pursue his dreams.
Although he started early, it was even with his childhood friend Paul Allen that formed Microsoft in 1975 that made a revolution in the technological sector.
Their real success came with the release of MS-DOS which later graduated to Windows, a GUI based operating system that changed the persona of personal computing.
But Gates’ course did not go without some obstacles; At the core of the infancy, Microsoft was challenged by legal cases, and intensive rivalry, but Gates’ leadership thinking and business skills enabled the company to ascend.
He was very much the perfectionist and never shirked from hard work or pushed the team to the limits and beyond.
They all remember the vision of having a PC on each desk , though it may be slightly misquoted but today such vision was a revolution that has significantly transformed the world of work, learning and communication.
When Gates decided to retire from Microsoft, he thought of changing his status to a philanthropist. With his then-wife Melinda, he formed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that was voted the world’s biggest private charitable foundation.
The foundation is very active and contributes to solving problems around the world; it deals with such issues as health, education, and poverty.
Gates’ life experience is a true example of the mission, good idea, and improvement of the world with inspiration to other students and many people to follow their dreams and become successful to make a change.
