Life didn’t begin with cells, but with chemistry. This lens traces how a barren early Earth assembled the first amino acids, nucleotides, lipids, and energy-rich molecules that made biology possible. From primordial atmospheres and hydrothermal vents to meteoritic organics and laboratory breakthroughs, we explore the chemical routes that bridge geology and biology. The focus is on mechanisms: how simple atoms self-organized into complex networks, how energy flowed through prebiotic systems, and how these reactions set the stage for evolution to begin.