PortalsOS

The origin of life might be linked to deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where mineralized sponges with cell-like pores could have facilitated the formation of life by providing a structured environment for chemical reactions.

On Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, there are plumes of water with organics and hydrogen, suggesting an ocean beneath the ice with hydrothermal systems. This chemistry is similar to Earth's, indicating potential for life.

There could be 20 to 40 billion wet, rocky planets or moons in the Milky Way with conditions similar to Earth, potentially supporting life. This is based on recent exoplanet discoveries and the commonality of elements like hydrogen and oxygen in the universe.

The continuity between geological environments and cells suggests that life forms are continuous with Earth's geochemistry, challenging the idea of a 'Frankenstein moment' where life suddenly zaps into existence.

The narrative around carbon being inherently bad is misleading, as carbon is essential to life and the planet's ecosystem.

Hydrothermal vents, driven by the mineral olivine, are likely to be found on any wet, rocky planet. These vents produce hydrogen gas in alkaline fluids, a fundamental process that could lead to the emergence of life.

The emergence of eukaryotes is seen as a major bottleneck in the development of complex life. Despite the vast number of planets that could potentially give rise to eukaryotes, it seems this event is incredibly rare, with Earth being a unique example.

Nick Lane explains that protocells in hydrothermal vents could self-organize and grow by deterministic chemistry, leading to early forms of heredity. This sets the stage for more complex life forms.

The fundamental bottleneck in the evolution of life is not the transition from geochemistry to early life, but rather the development from nucleotides to RNA, DNA, and ribosomes. This suggests that early life forms could be common, but complex life is less so.

Despite the vast number of planets, the unique development of eukaryotes on Earth suggests that while other methods of achieving complexity might exist, they are not easily realized in nature.