Scientists reveal possible role of iron sulfides in creating life in terrestrial hot springs
An international team of scientists has published a study highlighting the potential role of iron sulfides in the formation of life in early Earth's terrestrial hot springs. According to the researchers, the sulfides may ...
This work, appearing in Nature Communications, offers new insights into Earth's early carbon cycles and prebiotic chemical reactions, underscoring the significance of iron sulfides in supporting the terrestrial hot springs origin of life hypothesis.
The study was conducted by Dr. Nan Jingbo from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr. Luo Shunqin from Japan's National Institute for Materials Science; Dr. Quoc Phuong Tran from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and other researchers.
Iron sulfides, abundant in early Earth's hydrothermal systems, may have facilitated essential prebiotic chemical reactions, similar to the function of cofactors in modern metabolic systems. Previous studies on iron sulfides and the origin of life have focused primarily on deep-sea alkaline hydrothermal vents, which provide favorable conditions like high temperature, pressure, pH gradients, and hydrogen (H2) from serpentinization—factors thought to support prebiotic carbon fixation.
However, some scientists have proposed terrestrial hot springs as another plausible setting for life's origins, due to their rich mineral content, diverse chemicals, and abundant sunlight.
Scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals characteristics of the iron sulfide (mackinawite) catalyst. Credit: NIGPAS
Simulated reaction of metal-doped iron sulfides catalyzing the H₂-driven reduction of CO₂ under various terrestrial hot spring conditions. Credit: NIGPAS
Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of CO2 hydrogenation on the surfaces of pure iron sulfide and manganese-doped iron sulfide. Credit: NIGPAS