New levels of hydrogen in the Archean
Hi All
A new study by Feng Tian et.al. has been published in "Science" which strongly suggests that the hydrogen levels in the Earth's deep past have been grossly underestimated. It could have been as high as 40%. A hydrogen/CO2 atmosphere makes abiogenesis much easier providing a richer brew for making amino acids and the like. Hydrogen is also a more efficient greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and less UV labile than methane, thus resolving the "Faint Young Sun" paradox.
Makes Earth seem more alien than ever.
Adam