Life on Earth did not begin near alkaline hydrothermal vents, as has been considered practically certain until now. This is the conclusion of Benjamin Tutolo, a geochemist from the University of Calgary, who published a recent analysis contradicting the hypothesis that has dominated scientific research on the origin of life. The specialist argues that the "cradle" of life was probably lakes or small bodies of water subject to evaporation cycles, and not the alkaline hydrothermal vents that were almost considered unquestionable.
The research was published in the prestigious journal PNAS and represents a significant challenge to the dominant scientific paradigm. Tutolo bases his rebuttal on geochemical analyses that question the necessary conditions for the emergence of the first life forms that alkaline hydrothermal vents would have provided.
This conclusion may have important implications for the way scientists search for life outside Earth. If the alkaline hydrothermal vent hypothesis is abandoned, this could change the criteria used to identify planets or moons with the potential to harbor life, redirecting attention to environments with characteristics similar to lakes and small bodies of water with evaporation cycles.
