Abstract
It is generally agreed that the life have originated between 3500–3800 Myr ago (Orgel 1998). Before 3600 Myr, the oceans would probably have been repeatedly vaporized by large impacts, which could sterilize the planet eliminating small and large molecules and life itself (Maher & Stevenson 1988, Sleep et al. 1989, Zahnle & Sleep 1997, Lyons & Vasavada 1999). However, reconstruction of the last heavy bombardment indicates that large impacts up to ∼100-km in diameter occurred still 3600 Myr ago and generated excessive temperatures on Earth able to melt most of the planet’s mass (Lyons & Vasavada 1999). Though it is difficult to suppose that an accumulation of organic molecules could be possible before of this age, it would be feasible only during the intervals among each impactor fall (Marcano et al. 2000a), which would have surface temperatures between 85–110°C generated by CO2 greenhouse effects (Kasting 1993), volcanic activity and lower Earth’s rotation rate (∼14 hours).
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Marcano, V., Benitez, P., Fajardo, L., Palacios-Prü, E. (2001). Stability of Ribonucleic Acid in Protective Environments of Alkanes ≥ n-C18 — Results from Experiments in Laboratory. In: Chela-Flores, J., Owen, T., Raulin, F. (eds) First Steps in the Origin of Life in the Universe. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-1017-7_19
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