Origin of Life – Analysis of liquid inclusions in Australian quartz samples

The question about the origin of life is found in all cultures and was differently answered in each era. In this age of science we try to explain the origin of life on a purely chemical way.

A new and very promising theory was developed by Prof. Schreiber and Prof. Mayer, both from the University of Duisburg-Essen: Deep-reaching gas permeable tectonic faults of the early crust may provide possible reaction habitats for the formation of prebiotic molecules. Their fillings consist of supercritical and subcritical waters and supercritical and subcritical gases. Here, all necessary raw materials for the development of prebiotic molecules exist in variable concentrations and in sufficient quantities. Inside faults with high gas contents in a mixture of CO2, CO, NH3, H2 reactions similar to the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis occur which yields hydrocarbons and a plurality of components of organic chemistry. Faults are often documented by quartz mineralization. Quartz minerals conserve the chemical composition of the given fluid medium in fluid inclusions. The special feature of this theory is that in the case of accuracy, it should be possible to prove this theory with the help of modern analytical methods.

Therefore we are analyzing liquid inclusions in various - more than three billion years - old quarz samples.

Work was done by Pia Rosendahl and Amela Bronja