WEBVTT FILE

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.160
Solar storms may have started life on Earth.

2
00:00:05.180 --> 00:00:10.210
Earth is the perfect distance from the sun for life to develop.

3
00:00:10.230 --> 00:00:15.220
But it wasn’t the temperature of the sun that seeded life.

4
00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:20.820
Four billion years ago, our young sun was only 70% of the brightness it is today.

5
00:00:20.840 --> 00:00:24.420
At this level of brightness, Earth should have been an icy ball.

6
00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:27.730
So how did Earth warm up?

7
00:00:27.750 --> 00:00:30.870
New NASA research suggests powerful storms from our young sun

8
00:00:30.890 --> 00:00:33.330
may have been central to warming Earth.

9
00:00:33.350 --> 00:00:38.220
Explosions spew large amounts of energy towards Earth

10
00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:43.350
which may have helped create nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas.

11
00:00:43.370 --> 00:00:48.350
Energy may have also helped form RNA and DNA, the building blocks of life.

12
00:00:48.370 --> 00:00:52.870
Understanding how Earth evolved will help scientists

13
00:00:52.890 --> 00:00:58.180
determine what kind of planets could be hospitable for life.

14
00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:00.007