Abiotic reactions, not caused by living beings, are a missing key to determine where life may have emerged. Key gases of a prebiotic environment (N2, H2, CH4, CH3SH) associated with polyaromatic carbonaceous materials and nanodiamonds have been identified within samples from the Atlantis massif located along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.These varied ingredients remain trapped until they are remobilized at shallower depths, where they can participate in the formation of complex organic molecules.These results revive the theory of a hydrothermal origin for the emergence of life on Earth.

Scientists are trying to date (thanks to the U-Pb method) precisely the moments when asteroids have impacted the Earth. The idea is to link these impacts to possible environmental catastrophes that they would have initiated. To do this, we are looking for clues preserved in the rocks that were shocked during the impact on Earth. These clues are identifiable in the minerals on a very small scale (a few nanometers) and testify to the intense deformations that the material underwent during the impact.