Deep-sea hydrothermal vent (IMAGE)

Sissa Medialab

Deep-sea hydrothermal vent

Caption

Black smoker in 2,980 meters of wa­ter on the Mid-At­lantic Ridge. Some hypotheses suggest that deep-sea hydrothermal vents may have provided favorable conditions for the emergence of early life. In these environments, chemical and energy gradients could have supported primitive chemical systems and metabolic-like processes based on compounds released by hydrothermal activity.

Original image source:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MARUM-HTQ-01-HiRes.jpg


 

Credit

MARUM − Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Bremen

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License

CC BY

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