  The origins of life stands among the great open scientific questions of our
time. While a number of proposals exist for possible starting points in the
pathway from non-living to living matter, these have so far not achieved states
of complexity that are anywhere near that of even the simplest living systems.
A key challenge is identifying the properties of living matter that might
distinguish living and non-living physical systems such that we might build new
life in the lab. This review is geared towards covering major viewpoints on the
origin of life for those new to the origin of life field, with a forward look
towards considering what it might take for a physical theory that universally
explains the phenomenon of life to arise from the seemingly disconnected array
of ideas proposed thus far. The hope is that a theory akin to our other
theories in fundamental physics might one day emerge to explain the phenomenon
of life, and in turn finally permit solving its origins.
