Palaeobiology of hydrothermal mineral deposits

热液矿床古生物学。在高达150摄氏度的温度下形成的矿床记录了被称为超嗜热菌的微生物的历史。目前的生物学研究预测，这种生物是已知的最原始的生物。因此，通过研究这些矿床，我们有机会揭示地球上最早的生命历史，并提高我们对矿床的理解。这些沉积物也是在太阳系其他地方寻找生命和前生命的主要目标，拟议的研究将有助于这一搜索。

Palaeobiology of hydrothermal mineral deposits. Mineral deposits that formed at up to 150 degrees C record the history of micro-organisms referred to as hyperthermophiles. Current biological studies predict that such organisms are the most primitive known. Thus by studying these deposits we have the opportunity to uncover the earliest history of life on Earth, and to improve our understanding of ore deposition. Such deposits are also prime targets for the search for life and former life elsewhere in the Solar System, and the proposed research will contribute to that search.