Origins Theories Must Explain Speed

Updated: 2025.08.28 1M ago 2 sources
If life began within a few million years of Earth solidifying, models that rely on ultra‑rare, slow events are unlikely. Origin‑of‑life research should prioritize high‑probability, fast chemistries and experimental setups that can plausibly operate on short timescales. — This shifts research funding and SETI expectations toward pathways and searches that assume life is easy given the right conditions.

Sources

The worst news you will hear today (where are they?)
Tyler Cowen 2025.08.28 78% relevant
Cowen links Singh et al. (Nature) reporting a plausible prebiotic pathway for peptide synthesis, supplying the kind of fast, high‑probability chemistry that supports models where life emerges quickly rather than via ultra‑rare events.
Life happened fast
Michael Marshall 2025.08.19 100% relevant
The essay states 'life formed quickly' and that the 'hellscape Earth' delay narrative has collapsed, calling long‑timescale chance models 'untenable.'
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