Abstract
Organonitrogen molecules are fundamental biological building blocks related to the origin of life. Yet, their formation pathways on the primitive Earth have not been conclusively clarified. Writing in Science, Mercede et al. report the spontaneous formation of urea from carbon dioxide and ammonia within aqueous droplets under ambient, non-energetic conditions and without additional catalysts. Urea, a key organonitrogen molecule in prebiotic chemistry and relevant to astrobiology, plays a crucial role in the origin of life. This discovery provides compelling evidence for how simple chemical evolution could have driven the emergence of biologically relevant molecules.