A virtual exploration of iron-sulphur-world in search of the precursors to life on earth

具有讽刺意味的是，目前对人类生存构成威胁的温室气体——二氧化碳，却代表了地球上生命可能起源的起点。这项研究将探索这种溶解在古代海洋中的气体是如何通过与矿物质（如硫化铁）的相互作用转化为构成生物体基础的分子的化学过程。除了回答一个基本问题外，它还将提供对将污染物转化为有用化学物质的过程的见解，以及如果将二氧化碳放置在矿床中进行长期储存可能会发生什么。

The greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, that currently presents a threat to the continued existence of humanity, ironically represents the starting point from which life on Earth probably originated. This research will probe the chemistry of how this gas, dissolved in ancient oceans, came to be converted to molecules that form the basis of living organisms through interaction with minerals, such as iron sulphide. Aside from answering a fundamental question, it will offer insights into processes that convert a pollutant into a useful chemical, as well as what might happen if carbon dioxide is placed in mineral deposits for long-term storage.