Was the missing link found? Study reveals possible birthplace of early life in hot springs

Newcastle, United Kingdom — Could ancient hot springs reveal the mysterious origins of life on Earth? This is what Newcastle University scientists are counting on. Their new research explores how the first living systems emerged from non-living geological materials more than 3.5 billion years ago.

The team's discovery involves the creation of organic molecules, including long-chain fatty acids, which are essential components of early cell membranes. These findings potentially explain a key step in the formation of life on Earth billions of years ago, suggesting a plausible origin for the basic organic molecules of ancient cell membranes.

Fatty acids are long organic molecules with regions that attract and repel water, and naturally form cell-like compartments in water. These molecules are thought to have played an essential role in making the first cell membranes. However, the origin of these fatty acids in the early stages of life has remained a mystery. Researchers at Newcastle University suggest that these molecules could have formed in hydrothermal vents, where hydrogen-rich fluids from underwater vents mix with seawater containing carbon dioxide.

By replicating early Earth's oceanic conditions in their laboratory, the team found that mixing hydrogen, bicarbonate, and iron-rich magnetite in a temperate environment similar to hydrothermal vents led to the formation of these biomolecules.

“Basic for the origin of life are cellular compartments, which are essential for isolating internal chemistry from the external environment. These compartments were useful in promoting the reactions that sustain life from By concentrating chemicals and facilitating energy production, they likely serve as a cornerstone of life's first moments. University release.

The study suggests that the reaction of hydrogen-rich fluids from alkaline hydrothermal vents with bicarbonate-rich water on iron-based minerals could have accelerated the formation of early cell membranes. This process may have produced a variety of membrane types, some of which could have been the cradle of life as we know it.

“We believe this research may provide the first step into how life arose on our planet,” says study lead researcher Dr. John Tilling, a reader in biogeochemistry at the School of Natural Environmental Sciences at the University of Newcastle, in his article. University release. “Research in our laboratory is now continuing to determine the second key step; how these organic molecules that were initially 'stuck' to mineral surfaces could break free to form cell-like chambers surrounded by a spherical membrane; the possible first 'protocells' that formed the first cellular life.”

Interestingly, the research also suggests that similar film-forming reactions may still be occurring in oceans beneath the icy surfaces of moons in our solar system, suggesting the possibility of life originating on these distant worlds.

This study not only provides insight into the origins of life on Earth, but also opens up ways to understand the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe.

The study is published in the journal Earth and Environment Communications.

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