Reaching for life in the distant past – deciphering the geobiology of modern and ancient hydrothermal sulfides

深海热液系统似乎对地球上生命的早期进化至关重要，但它们的地理生物学几乎没有被探索过，而且仍然知之甚少。我假设，古代热液系统所容纳的生物群落比以前认为的要多得多，岩石记录可以详细了解它们的基本地质生物学（例如，微生物群落结构、环境条件）。我们的艾米·诺特初级研究小组将通过破译选定的现代和古代环境的地质生物学来验证这一假设，包括硫泉组（皮尔巴拉克拉通，西澳大利亚），地球上已知最古老的黑烟矿床。更具体地说，我们将通过对岩石结构和纹理、有机-无机空间关系和（干酪根结合-）脂质生物标志物的综合分析来实现这一目标。这种综合方法将对所研究的热液硫化物系统的地球生物学产生重要的见解。同时，它将揭示微生物生命和物理化学过程的相互作用如何转化为地质稳定的生物特征——这是解释可能保存在古代热液系统中的生命指纹的关键条件。

Deep-sea hydrothermal systems appear to have been critical for the early evolution of life on Earth, yet their geobiology has barely been explored and remains poorly understood. I hypothesize that ancient hydrothermal systems harbored significantly more diverse biological communities than previously thought and that the rock record can yield detailed insights into their fundamental geobiology (e.g., microbial community structures, environmental conditions). Our Emmy Noether junior research group will test this hypothesis by deciphering the geobiology of selected modern and ancient settings, including the Sulphur Springs Group (Pilbara Craton, Western Australia), the oldest known black smoker deposit on Earth. More specifically, we will achieve this through the combined analysis of rock fabrics and textures, organic-inorganic spatial relationships, and (kerogen bound-) lipid biomarkers. This integrative approach will yield important insights into the geobiology of the investigated hydrothermal sulfide systems. At the same time, it will reveal how the interplay of microbial life and physicochemical processes translates into geologically stable biosignatures – a crucial requisite for the interpretation of the fingerprints of life that may potentially be preserved in ancient hydrothermal systems.