Hydrothermal vent origin of life: Difference between revisions

Ever since its discovery in 1977, scientists locate geyser-like structures called '''hydrothermal vents''' every year. Hydrothermal vents sit on ocean floors, discharging clouds of smoke underwater all over the globe. They are full of pressure and chemicals, making the water temperatures rise up to 400° Celcius (750° Farenheit)! Even with this blazing heat, organisms manage to survive and reproduce under these conditions. As scientists study these sea vents, they come up with theories as to how life may have began from them. However, there are many questions raised when these theories are presented, giving creationism an edge over these theories.

In 1977, scientists discovered the first hydrothermal vent along the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Some vents were called 'black smokers' and they used high levels of [[sulfides]] to create smoke. It was found that the smoke from the sulfide and cold ocean waters would collide, heating the water up to 400° Celsius. When hydrothermal vents are formed, [[serpentinization]] occurs. Seabed rocks, which are rocks on the ocean floor, contain magnesium iron silicate that sparks a large reaction with the water, producing hydrogen. As a result of all these reactions, some may say they are like geysers or hot springs on the ocean floor. Discovered in 2000 are hydrothermal vents, called 'white smokers', that discharge a lighter colored volume of minerals. This is because there are different chemicals used than black smokers. Because the white smokers contain barium, calcium, and silicon. The difference in chemicals also affects the temperature as white smokers are much cooler. <ref> [https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/deep-sea-hydrothermal-vents/ Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents] ''National Geographic''. Web. Accessed November 25, 2018. Author Unknown </ref>  

In 1993, a geochemist named Michael Russell came up with the idea that life may have started in these hydrothermal vents. Later on in 2003, he changed his theory saying that life originated from the energy created when the vent water mixed with acidic seawater. Michael Russell's theory sparked a whole new argument for evolutionists to stand behind. <ref> Brazil, Rachel [https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/hydrothermal-vents-and-the-origins-of-life/3007088.article Hydrothermal vents and the origins of life] ''Chemistry World''. Web. Accessed November 25, 2018. </ref> Of course, this is not the only theory about hydrothermal vents and the origin of life. There is another theory that [[archaebacteria]] lived and reproduced in hydrothermal vents from the very start. Many scientists believe that archae were the ancestors of eukaryotic organisms. According to scientists, the heat and pressure of these sea vents can change the forms of archae and DNA of all living organisms can be tracked all the way back to the sea vents. Some scientists also believe that the DNA of these archaens are closers to eukaryotic organisms rather than bacteria. Apparently, with time passing, these organisms with a single cell evolved into organisms with colonial cells. <ref> Scoville, Heather [https://www.thoughtco.com/early-life-theory-of-hydrothermal-vents-1224529 Early Life Theories - Hydrothermal Vents] ''Thought Co.''. Web. Updated January 23, 2018. </ref>

Many different organims are able to survive in the conditions of hydrothermal vents. These organisms include crabs, clams, worms, shrimps, mussels and more. The diets of these organisms depend on the regions in which they live. Many of them feed on dead animals that sink to the ocean floor while some organisms will feed directly on the sea vents. Bacteria will feed on the sea vents to create a process called [[chemosynthesis]]. Like an ecosystem, the smaller animals eat the bacteria while being preyed on by larger animals. At the top of the food chain sits the giant tube worms that can grow up to eight feet. The waters are rich in resources for the organisms to the point where there are millions of shrimps at the bottom of the ocean. <ref> [http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/hydrothermal-vents.html Creatures of the Deep Sea] ''Sea and Sky''. Web. Accessed November 25, 2018. Author Unknown. </ref>