But most molecules inside cells, such as proteins or nucleic acids, are much more complex than these simple molecules. They consist of polymers, long, delicate chains of molecules, and forming polymers is not so easy. You need just the right amount of activation energy, and environments that can nudge molecules together in just the right way. One environment on the early Earth that might have provided the right conditions for stringing polymers together can be found at suboceanic vents, where hot material from Earth’s innards oozes through the ocean floor.
