I have always been intrigued by the problem of the origin of life and its subsequent evolution, which are exceptionally difficult scientific questions to solve. With recent advances in exoplanetary exploration, understanding how life appeared on Earth and how it could appear in space is becoming increasingly urgent.
Traditionally addressed in biology, it is becoming increasingly evident that to solve these mysteries, they must be approached from different disciplines. A recent project, whose results were published in Life, led me to take an interest in the crucial role that cooperation plays in the emergence of life. It was demonstrated that mutations occurring in an evolutionary system could greatly favor the cooperative behaviors required for the complexification of matter.
This research is particularly exciting for astrobiologists, especially given the new observational powers provided by the James Webb Space Telescope. It indicates that life might not only be possible in the mild conditions of Earth-like planets but could also arise in more extreme environments. The message from our work is clear: in the quest for extraterrestrial life, leave no stone unturned, as natural cooperation—and thus life—could emerge from anywhere, even the most unwelcoming environments.