In order to identify which molecules gave rise to life, we identified four research questions. At first we investigate which chemical processes occurred on the prebiotic Earth. Where did these processes take place?
Secondly, we need to find out the chemical and physical composition of the prebiotic Earth. What was the composition of the oceans and the atmosphere?
Third, we want to know why complex molecules formed which primitive life used. How is it possible that in an inanimate world, substances were formed that were useful for living systems?
Finally, life is selective in the form of the basic molecules it uses. Many of these basic molecules exist in both a righthanded and a lefthanded form. Life, however, does not use both, but uses either the lefthanded form, for example amino acids, or the righthanded, for example sugars. We call this phenomenon homochirality. Why life does this is still unknown. Was there an excess of one over the other where life originated? If so, what caused this excess? Or did life prefer one over the other? And if so, why?