Darwin spelled it out in his groundbreaking book, Origin of the Species . In the last sentence of the book, Darwin possibly caved into religious pressures of the time and suggested God made the first living creature, then allowed evolution to take over. Most scientists agree that the answer to life is not found in church but among the stars. The ingredients for life permeate the universe, where every star is a giant nuclear furnace producing the main chemicals needed to create living things - carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen. The ingredients can be found everywhere - on our moon, other planets, in comets, inside asteroids, and in the giant clouds of gas that are breeding grounds for future stars.
Astronomers know the universe is awash with the stuff of life.
Whether the mix spawns living things is another matter. They are the seeds of life, and they are spread throughout the universe. Lou Allamandola, chemist at NASA's Ames Research Center. All rights reserved. Of all the elements, carbon is the most important to living creatures.