The ingredients for life are everywhere in space, so finding them isn't the reason we haven't met aliens yet.
March 20, 2026
Original Paper
Atmospheric supply of HCN is not the rate limiting step for prebiotic chemistry across rocky exoplanets
arXiv · 2603.18769
The Takeaway
Hydrogen cyanide is a terrifying poison but a vital precursor for RNA and life. This model shows that almost all rocky planets in habitable zones naturally produce enough of it to fuel prebiotic chemistry, suggesting that if life is rare, it’s not because of a lack of ingredients.
From the abstract
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is crucial for the RNA World hypothesis, forming biomolecules essential for early life. Life likely emerged around 4 billion years ago during the early Archean Eon, a period on Earth with a fainter sun, frequent impacts, and a weakly reducing atmosphere. Warm little ponds (WLPs) are hypothetical protective aqueous environments that help explain the emergence and evolution of fragile prebiotic chemistry in such a hostile environment. WLPs need to undergo cycles of evaporati