New evidence emerges on the origins of life

Via Phys.org:

In the beginning, there were simple chemicals. And they produced amino acids that eventually became the proteins necessary to create single cells. And the single cells became plants and animals. Recent research is revealing how the primordial soup created the amino acid building blocks, and there is widespread scientific consensus on the evolution from the first cell into plants and animals. But it's still a mystery how the building blocks were first assembled into the proteins that formed the machinery of all cells. Now, two long-time University of North Carolina scientists - Richard Wolfenden, PhD, and Charles Carter, PhD - have shed new light on the transition from building blocks into life some 4 billion years ago...

Related:

• Science News: Peptides May Hold 'Missing Link' to Life
• Science Sunday Bonus: Research on possible origins of primitive cells
• Structure of 450 million year old protein reveals evolution's steps details new research from the August 17th, 2007 journal Science.
• Discover Magazine (Nov. 1995): First Cell