The Birth of Cells at Hydrothermal Vents

Hydrothermal vents in deep ocean rifts have generated a lot of excitement as the starting place for life on our planet. Hydrothermal vents represent a dynamic environment which would favor the formation of organic compounds, the “molecules of life,” using simple chemicals in the early oceans. Most recently, scientists have gained insight into the creation of the cell membrane—a structure common to all life forms. Hydrothermal vents may be present in the oceans of moons or rocky planets in our solar system, for example Europa and Enceladus, raising the possibility that life may have started there too.
References:
Promotion of protocell self-assembly from mixed amphiphiles at the origin of life
Sean F Jordan, Hanadi Rammu, Ivan N Zheludev, Andrew M Hartley, Amandine Maréchal, Nick Lane

CO2 reduction driven by a pH gradient
Reuben Hudson, Ruvan de Graaf, Mari Strandoo Rodin, Aya Ohno, Nick Lane, Shawn E. McGlynn, Yoichi M. A. Yamada, Ryuhei Nakamura, Laura M. Barge, Dieter Braun, and Victor Sojo.

A mild hydrothermal route to fix carbon dioxide to simple carboxylic acids
Chao He, Ge Tian, Ziwei Liu, Shouhua Feng

For Further reading:
The Vital Question. Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life
by Nick Lane

[mahalie]

Fantastic explanation. Mind blowing stuff, why isn't everyone talking about it?!?!

[royh]

I cant believe this channel doesnt have hundreds of thousands of subscribers

[ЕленаГеннадьевнаКалле]

Thanks a lot to the creators of this channel! I met it the first time today. A lot of work is invested into short videos. And what I like especially - there are references. Good Scientific job!

[hansdaemen]

Thank you so much. This information is exactly what I was looking for. Fantastic

[haneya]

Very interesting and useful video, thanks a lot !

[Elephantine]

The animation of the alkaline vents starting at 3:00 was great. I had read about that process in Nick Lane's book (in references), but it was good to see it animated.

[JasemMutlaq]

I got to this video exactly because I'm reading "The Vital Question" and was looking to see if this the CO2 reduction was indeed replicated finally in labs (they weren't successful in producing this in the lab as author indicates).

[dictyostelium]

If the fatty acids are forming in the surrounding ocean water won't they get rapidly dispersed on ocean currents? Don't they need to be in the vent?

[PabloL.Finkel]

How does CO give rise to long chain carboxylic acids and alcohols?

[andrejpantovic]

Does this show that there is no possibility of a scientific explanation for afterlife?

[jameshopkins]

This looks like a cartoon of life. Children enjoy cartoons of life.

[bradleyshimels]

Sorry but it would take an all-knowing God like in the book of Genesis to assemble and create the complexities for lefthanded DNA, (the bases of all life on earth) to exist !It's all back in Genesis.

[seabassvn]

The step from Formica acid to long chain fatty acids is missing! What’s the reaction?