From volcanic origins of chemoautotrophic life to Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya
Open accessAbstract
The theory of a chemoautotrophic origin of life in a volcanic iron–sulphur world postulates a pioneer organism at sites of reducing volcanic exhalations. The pioneer organism is characterized by a composite structure with an inorganic substructure and an organic superstructure. Within the surfaces of the inorganic substructure iron, cobalt, nickel and other transition metal centres with sulphido, carbonyl and other ligands were catalytically active and promoted the growth of the organic superstructure through carbon fixation, driven by the reducing potential of the volcanic exhalations. This pioneer metabolism was reproductive by an autocatalytic feedback mechanism. Some organic products served as ligands for activating catalytic metal centres whence they arose. The unitary structure–function relationship of the pioneer organism later gave rise to two major strands of evolution: cellularization and emergence of the genetic machinery. This early phase of evolution ended with segregation of the domains Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya from a rapidly evolving population of pre-cells. Thus, life started with an initial, direct, deterministic chemical mechanism of evolution giving rise to a later, indirect, stochastic, genetic mechanism of evolution and the upward evolution of life by increase of complexity is grounded ultimately in the synthetic redox chemistry of the pioneer organism.
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The structures of the FeS membranes reported by the RML groups and their geochemical context have been questioned.
“The structures of the FeS membranes reported by the RML groups, and their geochemical context, have been questioned”
From Natural pH Gradients in Hydrothermal Alkali Vents Were Unlikely to Have Played a Role in the Origin of Life (2016) · cites this paper as Wächtershäuser 2006
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Wächtershäuser, G.
- Affiliations
- 80333 Munich, Weinstrasse 8, Germany
- Corresponding author
- Wächtershäuser, Günter
- Venue
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2006-09-07
- Volume
- 361
- Issue
- 1474
- Pages
- 1787-1808
- ISSN
- 0962-8436 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-2970
- PMC
- PMC1664677
- OpenAlex
- W2146529099
- Cited by
- 275
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 9.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Directorate for Biological Sciences
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Philosophy and History of Science
- Keywords
- origin of life, volcanic gases, metalloenzyme catalysis, CO2 fixation, cellularization, domain segregation, bacteria, archaea, Eukarya, redox chemistry, eukaryotic origin
- MeSH terms
- Origin of Life, Archaea, Bacteria, Eukaryotic Cells, Biological Evolution, Volcanic Eruptions, Evolution, Chemical, Chemoautotrophic Growth
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