Did Solar 'Superflares' Spark Life on Earth?

Superflares from a hyperactive young sun may have sparked life on Earth by firing charged particles found in the solar wind at a concoction of gases present in Earth's early atmosphere, forming significant quantities of amino acids and carboxylic acids — the building blocks for proteins and all organic life. A new study has used a particle accelerator to find that cosmic rays from fiercely energetic superflares could have provided the necessary jump-start for life on Earth. Superflares of this kind typically only erupt once every 100 years or so, but during Earth's first 100 million years, the sun was 30% dimmer, yet superflares burst from its surface every three to 10 days.