hydrothermal vent Archives

Mariana Trench slope viewed through a Human-Occupied Vehicle (HOV) window. Credit BGI Research

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The Deep Sea Is An Untapped Evolutionary Engine Says New Study

by Keith CowingJune 11, 2026June 11, 2026

Editor’s note: As we expand outward from Earth to other worlds we are almost certainly going to encounter things we did not expect to find – things that are unlikely […]

Comparison of precipitate membranes following either fluorescein or methyl orange dye flow. (a) and (b) show two separate precipitate membranes following injection of (a) 10-4 M and (b) 2.5×10-4 M fluorescein for 20 h at a pump rate of 0.10 mL/h per syringe. Examples of large, embedded structures observed in various precipitate membranes following methyl orange dye flow are shown in (c-f). (c) and (e) are optical micrographs taken at different locations along the same membrane after injection of 10-4 M methyl orange for 20 h at a pump rate of 0.10 mL/h per syringe. (d) and (f) represent two different precipitate membranes after injection of 2.5×10-4 M methyl orange for 20 h at a pump rate of 0.10 mL/h per syringe. Scale bars: 250 μm in (a-d); 50 μm in (e) and (f). -- chemrxiv

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Charge-Selective Adsorption Of Organic Molecules In Microfluidic Mg(OH)2 Precipitate Membranes

by Keith CowingMay 27, 2026May 27, 2026

The porous mineral structures of alkaline hydrothermal vent chimneys have been proposed as natural concentrators of dissolved organic molecules, potentially addressing the longstanding dilution problem in deep-sea origin-of-life hypotheses.

Main categories of extremophiles. This illustration depicts the 10 most common extremophile types, highlighting their defining physicochemical stressors and representative natural environments. -- Briefings in Bioinformatics

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Decoding Extremophiles: Insights From Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, And Data-driven Approaches

by Keith CowingMay 22, 2026May 23, 2026

Life thrives in Earth’s most inhospitable environments, from boiling hydrothermal vents to hypersaline lakes and frozen polar deserts, thanks to the remarkable adaptations of extremophilic microorganisms.

Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor spew black smoke, which forms when super-hot vent water hits the cold ocean. Scientists view them as candidates for where life may have started, because they provide heat, minerals and chemical energy that early life could have used to form and grow. Photo: Richard Lutz

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Extinction events, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Did Impacts From Meteors Help Start Life On Earth?

by Keith CowingMay 6, 2026May 6, 2026

Meteor impacts may have helped spark life on Earth, creating hot, chemical-rich environments where the first living cells could take shape, according to research integrated by a recent Rutgers University […]

A) Subcluster of viral genomes within the family Microviridae. Network constructed using vConTACT3 and visualized in Cytoscape. Reference nodes are colored by genus (RefSeq and vConTACT3 predictions), while fumarole viruses are colored by sample site. Edges represent genesharing strength. The blue node (phiX174) forms a weakly resolved clade with fumarole viruses in the maximum-likelihood phylogeny based on major capsid protein amino acid sequences. B) Pairwise genome comparisons of RefSeq and fumarole Microviridae using local alignment (MMseqs2). The top row and left column indicate predicted genus assignments (vConTACT3) for fumarole and RefSeq viruses. The top-left quadrant shows RefSeq–RefSeq comparisons; the top-right shows fumarole–RefSeq comparisons (RefSeq colored by genus). The second row (genome source) is colored by fumarole sample site. The star denotes comparisons involving the phiX174 RefSeq genome. -- biorxiv.org

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Hawaiian Geothermal Fumaroles Contain Diverse and Novel Viruses

by Keith CowingApril 9, 2026April 9, 2026

Microbial communities of geothermal habitats are central to understanding the evolution of life on Earth. Metagenomics has provided insight into the role of viruses in shaping microbial diversity of complex […]

Raman images showing the distribution of OM (red) and titanite (Ttn, purple) inside spheroids immediately adjacent to apatite (Ap, turquoise) and lepidocrocite (Lpc, white) embedded in the basaltic glass fragment composed of chlorite (Chl, blue). Note the surrounding matrix of calcite (Cal, green) does not contain apatite, the presence of microscopic size apatite and of nanoscopic size apatite crystals, and the location of the two regions of interest (ROI) for each. -- Nature Communications Earth & Environment

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Ichnofossils in Volcanic Glass From Palaeoproterozoic Hydrothermal Vents Were Burrowed By Microorganisms Probably Seeking Phosphate

by Keith CowingApril 6, 2026April 6, 2026

Ichnofossils in basaltic glass are putative microscopic trace fossils occurring on modern seafloor and throughout Earth history. While their biological origin remains debated, it is unknown why microorganisms thrive in […]

Carbon-silicate cycle includes a carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolution in rainwater to form carbonic acid (H2CO3) that falls on land and oceans; b reaction of H2CO3 and silicate (SiO32-) to form silicon dioxide (SiO2) and carbonate (CO32-), which is sequestered into oceanic crust for further recycling to the mantle followed by release into the atmosphere through volcanic activity; and c regeneration of CO2 through reaction between SiO2 and CO32-. Carbon fixation includes (d) reduction of CO2 to methane (CH4) through (e) the production of H2 from H2O on the surface of iron sulfide minerals that serve as sources of dissolved ferrous ion (Fe2+), which is photochemically oxidized to ferric ions (Fe3+.) in water vapor. Carbon monoxide (CO) either reacts with (f) H2O for synthesis of formic acid (HCOOH) or g ammonia (NH3) for synthesis of formamide (HCONH2). Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) formation may occur through either h reaction between CH4 and NH3 or i reaction of CH3• and N• through free radical mechanism. j HCN further reacts with H2O to produce CO and NH3.that also is produced through (k) N2 fixation under high temperatures, both can be sequestered into the mantle; l NH3 photolysis by UV radiation gives rise to N2 and H2; m hydrothermal H2 production occurs through the H2O oxidation by Fe2+ into H2 used for N2 fixation in the atmosphere. In this figure, royalty-free mountain and meteorite images designed by Freepik platform (www.freepik.com) are used. -- Nature via PubMed (open access)

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Redox Chemistry Of Early Earth And The Origin Of Life

by Keith CowingApril 4, 2026April 4, 2026

Multiple controversial scenarios have been proposed explaining the emergence of life, both from environmental and chemical perspectives.

The Alvin is pictured sampling the P hydrothermal vent, which is an underwater volcano that forms at spreading and converging plate boundaries that spews out hot water that’s been heating underneath the earth’s crust. -- University of Delaware

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University of Delaware Robotics Study The Depths Of Earth’s Ocean

by Keith CowingMarch 23, 2026March 23, 2026

From the East Pacific Rise in the Pacific Ocean to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic, researchers from the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment led the […]

The sulfur compounds give the “yellow vent” at Kueishantao, Taiwan, its characteristic yellow color. Prof. Li-Lian Liu and her research group, Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Microbes Use Earth’s Ancient Carbon

by Keith CowingMarch 11, 2026March 11, 2026

Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor release carbon dioxide that is many million years old. This old carbon originates from the Earth’s interior, and it escapes either directly from the […]