The Iron-Sulfur World Hypothesis
The iron-sulfur world hypothesis proposes that life’s earliest chemistry occurred on the surfaces of iron and sulfur minerals. These minerals, abundant at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, can act as natural catalysts, driving reactions that produce organic molecules essential for life. This theory closely connects with vent-based origin models, proposing that mineral surfaces played a crucial role in concentrating reactants and facilitating increasingly complex processes.