ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we focus on two geological sites – alkaline hydrothermal vents and hydrothermal fields – that have been proposed as prebiotic environments conducive for the origin of life ~4 billion years ago. The question we address can be simply stated: Did life begin in marine hydrothermal vents and migrate to freshwater, or did life begin in freshwater hydrothermal fields and migrate to seawater conditions such as intertidal zones or hydrothermal vents? To weigh the alternatives, we consider the chemical and physical properties of amphiphilic molecules, particularly self-assembly into membranes, and whether they could contribute to the origin of cellular life given those alternative conditions.
