海底热液活动与生命起源

Seafloor Hydrothermal System and the Origin of Life

现代海底热液活动及有关的生命现象是最近三十年来自然科学最重要的发现之一,给地质学、地球化学和生物学的研究提供了全新的视野。通过对地球早期环境条件及其演化的研究,结合地质历史上最早生命的记录,一些科学家意识到,海底热液活动完全具备地球上生命起源必需的物质、能量和环境条件。在热液条件下,不仅一些有机物能通过无机合成得以生成,喷口/海水界面上剧烈的物理和化学梯度为嗜热化能自养微生物提供了能量。嗜热化能自养微生物是热液生态系统的初级生产者,在生物进化历史上也最接近"最后的共同祖先"。文章对"生命起源于海底热液活动"这一科学假说作了比较系统的介绍。

Seafloor hydrothermal activities and associated biological phenomena are one of the most important discoveries in the past 30 years,which breathe a new insight into researches of geology,geochemistry and biology.According to the study about early environments and their evolution on Earth and oldest records of microfossils,scientists realized that seafloor hydrothermal vents possess all factors,such as substances,energy and environments necessary for the origin of life.Under hydrothermal condition,not only some organic substances are synthesized through abiotic ways,but also steep physical and chemical gradients occurring in the interface between vents and seawater provide energy to those hyperthermophilic chemolithoautotrophic microbes.These chemolithoautotrophic microbes act as primary producers in hydrothermal ecosystems,and are the species closest to last common ancestor of life on Earth.A systematic introduction is given to the scientific hypothesis of ＂Life originates from seafloor hydrothermal activity＂.