Frozen hydrogen cyanide crystals may have acted as natural chemical reactors, jumpstarting life’s building blocks in icy environments. Credit: AI/ScienceDaily.com A chemical known for its danger to humans may have played an unexpected role in the earliest steps toward life on Earth. Hydrogen cyanide, which is highly poisonous, can freeze into crystals at low temperatures. Computer simulations published in ACS Central Science suggest that certain surfaces on these crystals are unusually reactive,