Cooking's chemical reaction aided life's origin

The Maillard reaction is the chemical process that browns food and creates complex flavors when we cook. New research led by Professor Caroline Peacock at the University of Leeds reports that a similar reaction can occur in the deep ocean. There, it converts small organic carbon molecules into larger, stable polymers. The study, published in Nature, estimates this process locks away roughly four million tonnes of organic carbon each year.

Because those polymers are less available for short-term decay, the reaction may have helped shift Earth’s long-term carbon balance. By removing organic carbon from immediate recycling, it can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide returned to the atmosphere and allow oxygen levels to rise over geological time. The authors suggest this process may have influenced the timing and environment for the emergence and development of more complex life on Earth.

Who did it? And what's their angle?

Every conspiracy theory pins one culprit and one motive on the same story. The same story can spawn any number of theories — different culprits, different motives. That's part of how you spot a conspiracy theory: the same event can be "explained" any number of ways.

You'll walk through the four moves on separate screens, with a debunk on every step.