Hydrothermal Vents Essay

What is the origin of life? This inquisition has baffled scientists and researchers since the beginning of time. While each new discovery gives a small notion for where and how life on Earth began, the newest clue is the discovery of hydrothermal vents. These vents are deeply immersed in the oceans that harbour rich ecosystems, the energy source from mid-ocean-ridge volcanism. Additionally the vents can reach high temperatures up to 407C (Sander, 2011). and can reach temperatures up to 121°C (Martin et al., 2008). Many researchers’ theories pertaining to the origins of life stem from a series of specific chemical reactions, as well as Earth’s atmosphere, which might have derived from the hydrothermal vents themselves (Martin et al., 2008). The hydrothermal vents are believed to be the key to early Earth due to their “insights into past mantle geochemistry and presents a better understanding of the chemical constraints that existed during the evolutionary transition from geochemical to biochemical processes” (Martin et al., 2008). Alot is still left to learn about the hydrothermal vents, which were only discovered 40 years ago, and the ocean in itself in which less than 1% has been explored (Brazelton, 2017). Researching these vents and learning about the types of organisms or life that may live from the environment that these vents give off could help reveal some missing pieces to the true origin of life on Earth puzzle. …show more content…
While our ability to explore these depths are limited, due to these vents being one of the most physiologically isolated chemosynthetic environments known, many devices are able to explore these vents and collect sample. From these samples environmental sequencing of ribosomal RNA have shown that microbial communities and diverse bacterial assemblage inhabits these