Serpentinization Systems and Life’s Origins

Serpentinization systems were widespread on early Earth and are considered to be linked to the origins of life and early microbial ecosystems. Our research on modern serpentinization-driven ecosystems has revealed microorganisms with unique carbon fixation pathways. While primitive life no longer exists in present-day serpentinization systems, traces of its metabolism may persist in early Earth analogue sites and further give some insights into the life on the other rocky planets. Therefore, we investigate these systems to reconstruct early biochemical pathways and understand the functional evolution of genetic and metabolic networks essential to life.