Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 28 August 2026 · From issue 28
Rethinking the origin of life at seafloor hydrothermal vents
Ancient seafloor vents lacked the strong chemical gradients needed to power the first life.
Benjamin M. Tutolo.
One popular idea says life started at seafloor vents shaped like tall mineral chimneys. These vents were thought to have strong chemical differences across their walls, like a battery, powering the first living cells. New evidence shows ancient vents likely had weak chemical differences instead. They also had almost no sulfur, and conditions too slow to build the complex molecules early cells would need.
The paper shows ancient vents lacked strong chemical gradients, sulfur, and fast enough chemistry for early life.
Theoretical review of geology, not new lab or field data.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 29 August 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). Read the source
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