Ice and the origins of life on Earth - 6 Minute English

The James Webb Space Telescope recently detected the coldest ices ever in outer space, something Nasa scientists think could explain the origins of life on Earth. Sam and Neil talk about science and teach you related vocabulary.

❓❓❓ This week's question
We know ice is frozen water, but do you know the chemical symbol for water?
a) H2O
b) HO2
c) H2O2
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary
✔️primordial soup
environment on Earth before there were any plants or animals, and which formed the conditions for life

✔️building blocks of life
most basic biological and chemical units capable of supporting living plants and animals

✔️comet
large object made of dirt and ice travelling around the sun with a bright, burning tail

✔️lightning
flash of bright light produced by electricity moving in the atmosphere

✔️organic
relating to living plants and animals; food grown without the use of artificial chemicals

✔️chain reaction
series of chemical reactions in which one change causes another which in turn causes another

[Cover: Getty Images]
You can download the transcript and audio for this programme here: ???? https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2023

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