Part 3/11:
Recent findings, particularly the discovery of an ancient zircon crystal in Western Australia, hint at a tantalizing possibility: that life could have originated independently on Earth twice. This crystal, dating back around 4.1 billion years, contains a speck of carbon indicative of biological activity, suggesting that abiogenesis may not have been a singular event. If true, this discovery would prompt a reevaluation of the preconditions necessary for life and significantly modify our estimates in the Drake equation.