I agree with im_an_optimist, Great synopsis on that article!
Before reading this, I often thought about the leap from inanimate (a rock) to a unicellular life form. It seemed to be a much greater leap than the one from single-celled life to human. The single-cell can split or become more complex and multi-celled because it is dynamic. But to get to ONE living cell from dust seemed incomprehensible. The leap seemed so great that when I would meet someone who seemed extremely unself-reflecting, I'd say (unkindly) that (metaphorically) the person had not got to one yet.
Now it seems that through a naturally occurring physicochemical process, matter can go from a rock to a cell. Awesome.
By the way, Cadell, I also very much liked your explanations of why we have not found life (yet) on other planets.
Thanks lil! It seems to me that one of the biggest problems with understanding the origin of life is because people erected dichotomies and barriers that may not have any underlying reality (i.e., inorganic/organic). If there are underlying evolutionary mechanisms that operate at physical and chemical levels, it seems to me that a transition from non-life to life would occur in much the same as speciation occurs (that is gradually as a system-wide process). I think in the future I will dedicate more research to this topic. Thanks again for your comment!