In vitro growth of iron sulphide chimneys: possible culture chambers for origin-of-life experiments

Iron monosulphide globules and tubes grown in the laboratory have similar morphologies to the fossil pyrite botryoids and chimneys found in the Silvermines exhalative sedimentary ore-body of Carboniferous age in Ireland. We envisage analogous fine structures growing at hot springs (100–200°C) in the earliest oceans as having provided the culture chambers and flow reactors for life to originate by phosphorylation and growth of organic molecules on the iron sulphide surfaces. Such sulphide structures grown in the laboratory could be used in origin-of-life experiments.