Life on Earth may have begun in hostile hot springs

Understanding how complex molecules formed on our planet could guide the search for life elsewhere in the solar system

a photo of a hot spring

Hot springs, like those at Lassen Volcanic National Park’s Bumpass Hell in California, provide conditions that may have supported life as it began on Earth.

Blake Smith

At Bumpass Hell in California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park, the ground is literally boiling, and the aroma of rotten eggs fills the air.