Early Earth's auroral belts may have formed a natural ion-beam reactor for prebiotic chemistry

edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan

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Add as preferred source Conceptual illustration of the proposed Natural Ion-Beam Reactor, linking energetic-particle precipitation, geomagnetic focusing, high-latitude atmospheric chemistry, downward transport and polar surface environments on early Earth. Credit: Haru Sakai, used with permission. We usually think of auroras as beautiful lights in the night sky. I see them as visible traces of a connection between the sun, Earth's magnetic field and the atmosphere. This led me to an origin-of-life question: Could the planetary structure that produces auroras also have organized chemical reactions on early Earth?