Abstract
AbstractThe theory of a chemo‐autotrophic origin of life in an Iron‐Sulfur World postulates quenched, aqueous flows of volcanic exhalations as sites for the emergence of the pioneer organism of life, which are characterized by a composite structure with an inorganic substructure and an organic superstructure. Iron, nickel, and other transition metal centers in the substructure are catalytic for the reductive formation of low‐molecular‐weight organic compounds by carbon fixation from volcanically derived carbonyl, cyano, sulfido, ammino, and other ligands. Some organic products become transition metal ligands instatu nascendiwith the effect of ligand‐accelerated autocatalysis as a chemical basis of pioneer reproduction, inheritance, and evolution. This unitary structure‐function relationship of the pioneer organism constitutes the “Anlage” for two major parallel strands of evolution, genetization, and cellularization, and the “mystery” of an increase of complexity throughout evolution is simply caused by the primal synthetic drive of the autotrophic pioneer organism that may well be persisting to this day.
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