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Solar storms may have started life on Earth.

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Earth is the perfect distance from the sun for life to develop.

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But it wasn’t the temperature of the sun that seeded life.

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Four billion years ago, our young sun was only 70% of the brightness it is today.

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At this level of brightness, Earth should have been an icy ball.

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So how did Earth warm up?

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New NASA research suggests powerful storms from our young sun

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may have been central to warming Earth.

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Explosions spewed large amounts of energy towards Earth,

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which may have helped create nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas.

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Energy may have also helped form RNA and DNA, the building blocks of life.

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Understanding how Earth evolved will help scientists

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determine what kind of planets could be hospitable for life.

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