> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # PRIMORDIAL SOUP - URL: https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/primordial-soup/ - Published: 2026-04-10T10:19:01.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-04T15:17:26.000Z - Description: chapter 3. BEGINNING - Author: ACHTismeerdanDUIZEND - Tags: The Sketchbook of Changes, #lightbox, 3 In 1953, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey conducted an experiment in which a mixture of substances such as ammonia, methane, and water vapor was subjected to electrical discharges. This experiment simulated the conditions of the early Earth. In this laboratory ‘primordial soup,' amino acids—building blocks of life—appeared as if by magic. In the decades that followed, the experiment came under scrutiny. It was said to be too simplistic a view of things, a mere flash of lightning bringing life into being. Yet the power of imagination is evoked by the idea of a primordial soup—a divine brew, though could it be any more earthly? – would never leave us. It became a source of inspiration for thinkers and artists. ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/00c7db51-37cc-4fc1-8597-ef3e4014012e_1004x1254-jpeg-2.jpg) The Far Side - Gary Larson. What are we to make of recent research at [Stanford University](https://www.newscientist.nl/nieuws/kleine-vonkjes-tussen-waterdruppels-kunnen-de-oorzaak-van-leven-op-aarde-zijn/?ref=8ismeerdan1000.com) into 'microlightning'—electrical discharges between individual water droplets—as a factor in the origin of life? ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/1f6e9d93-29da-4cd7-9cec-cb3d3ed3008e_1430x1288-jpeg-2.jpg) [Water droplet microlightning.](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt8979?ref=8ismeerdan1000.com) Some things have always been there: potatoes, Monday mornings, and the National Lottery. It’s hard to imagine that they ever had a beginning. In your memory, they seem to have always been present. Other phenomena did have a beginning, an introduction, and a debut on the scene. It couldn’t be any other way: at first they didn’t exist, and suddenly, without further ado, they had taken their place in our reality. ✏️ ***In the beginning** *, the opening words of Genesis. A phrase typically used to refer to something with a long or unknown history.* etymologiebank That’s how it went with the concept of the primordial soup. I assume that before 1953, this was not part of everyday language. Now, the image of a bubbling, steaming, and sparking primordial broth has become an integral part of our construct. ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/4b4e0fd0-f64f-49c1-8864-bc105b2de836_1000x1333-2.webp) Primordial soup - [David Lloyd Brown](https://davidlloydbrown.com/artwork/primordial-soup/?ref=8ismeerdan1000.com). There was a primordial soup 4 billion years ago; before me stands a modern-day version. ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/e3b3aaf5-9ff2-4927-8224-660d60b1010c_3024x4032-heic-2.jpg) What can you discover here? Tectonic plates, lava flows, umami, and CV scams? There are parts of the world where people start their day with miso. There are people who, instead of heading for the coffee machine, begin their day by drinking/eating a bowl of miso soup. A strange habit, a fad? That remains to be seen. Just think of it this way: before you know it, the novelty has turned into a habit, the origins of which have been forgotten. That is certainly how it went with coffee. Coffee and miso, both made from beans. Both dark brown and comforting. But there are differences too. ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/e9b2b837-243f-4a37-a3cd-69b1ef130f6b_768x574-2.png) ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/1399bef1-bceb-46eb-a154-93320228c92e_1792x1024-2.webp) Misosoup for a samurai and coffee in the Enlightment. Coffee *in* the Age of Enlightenment? [Coffee ](https://pingocerto.com/coffee-and-the-enlightenment-fueling-ideas-and-revolutions/?ref=8ismeerdan1000.com)[*was*](https://pingocerto.com/coffee-and-the-enlightenment-fueling-ideas-and-revolutions/?ref=8ismeerdan1000.com)[ the Enlightenment](https://pingocerto.com/coffee-and-the-enlightenment-fueling-ideas-and-revolutions/?ref=8ismeerdan1000.com)! And coffee *was* the cowboy life in the Wild West. ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/54d6274e-20c9-404e-b6e0-6bf902ae8352_736x997-jpeg-2.jpg) The Far Side - Gary Larson. In the morning, the aroma of a perfectly made cappuccino. The shades of brown and caramel, white and ochre. If the day ahead holds the same richness, you can count yourself lucky. Or perhaps an archaic Ethiopian coffee with butter and a sprig of rue. ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/694b2aee-08f3-4009-bdc5-a2fcdbd32a46_1200x801-jpeg-2.jpg) A cup of traditional coffee prepared in a jebana and served with butter and a sprig of fresh rue. Yesterday: mugi muso, soba, dulce, a bit of kimchi, sesame, and chili oil … ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/a5694881-1ee8-4efc-a196-2e4bdb413806_3024x4032-heic-2.jpg) ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/4b202057-4686-40f0-ac4a-2b68b4835b58_3024x4032-heic-2.jpg) This morning: shoyu, miso’s little sister, tofu, wakame, bonito flakes, spring onions … ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/e8738c72-78c6-4516-89b4-423dd198ba8f_3024x4032-heic-2.jpg) And finally, a few valuable tips from the miso barista … --- **THE IMAGE** of two trigrams: *Water* over *Thunder*. A thunderstorm, moisture, an electrical discharge, creation, a beginning. ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/bdfe8ee6-b221-4265-9843-d057f70220a2_150x124-jpeg-4.jpg) Water ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/08/a2104682-bb36-485d-9c3c-fb21e2bd83f4_150x124-jpeg-2.jpg) Thunder ![](https://www.8ismeerdan1000.com/content/images/2026/09/03.jpg) 3\. BEGINNING --- ****Thank you for reading!** ****'Eight is More Than a Thousand'** is built using Ghost, an open-source writing platform. All contributions go directly to the writer. Some of the articles on 8ismeerdan1000 are freely accessible. Another section is available only to paying subscribers. By taking out a paid subscription – which can be for a month or a year – you help to support the progress of the ****Eight is More Than a Thousand project**! For those who would like to read all the posts but cannot currently afford to do so, a brief message is all it takes to gain access. 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