The work of Clémentine Fellah highlighted in Nature Communication
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.