Abstract
ELECTRIC discharges are very efficient1 in synthesising amino acids and other organic compounds in conditions which simulate the atmosphere of the primitive Earth. Consequently, they may have been of considerable importance in the origin of life. Corona emission from pointed objects is probably1 the most effective form of electric discharge involved in prebiotic synthesis. Clearly, coronae occurring in the vicinity of the oceans would be of particular importance, but even though land surfaces generally possess features of sufficient irregularity to permit corona emission in naturally occurring electric fields of moderate strength, it is not obvious that suitable protuberances exist at the ocean surface.
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References
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LATHAM, J. Possible mechanisms of corona discharge involved in biogenesis. Nature 256, 34–35 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/256034a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/256034a0
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