1. Joint AIRAPT-18 & HPCC-11 Beijing, China -- 23-27 July 2001 High Pressure and the Origin of Life High Pressure and the Origin of Life Robert Hazen, Nabil Boctor, Jay A. Brandes, George D. Cody, Russell J. Hemley, James Scott, Anurag Sharma, and Hatten S. Yoder, Jr. Carnegie Institution of Washington

2. High-Pressure and the Origin of Life What is the nature and distribution of life at high pressures? What are the extreme pressure limits to cellular life? How might biomolecules adapt to high pressure? What roles might pressure have played in prebiotic organic synthesis?

3. High-Pressure Life HMS Challenger – 1870s

4. High-Pressure Life 1972

5. High-Pressure Life Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents -- 1979

6. High-Pressure Life Discoveries of Hydrothermal Vent Ecosystems

7. High-Pressure Life Discoveries of Life in Crustal Rocks – 1990s

8. High-Pressure Life Discoveries of life in extreme environments – 1990s

9. High-Pressure Life Methane ice worms -- 1999

10. Life at High Pressures on other Worlds? Life at High Pressures on other Worlds? Deep, wet environments may exist on Mars, Europa, etc.

11. Pressure Limits of Life Isolation and Culture of High-Pressure Microbes – 1980s

12. Pressure Limits of Life Isolation and Culture of High-Pressure Microbes – 1990s

13. Pressure Limits of Life Isolation and Culture of Microbes at 1 GPa – 2001

14. Pressure Limits of Life Microbes continue to reduce formate at pressures above 10,000 atmospheres

15. Effects of Pressure on Biomolecules Pressure induces phase transitions in membrane- forming lipid molecules.

16. Effects of Pressure on Biomolecules High-pressure cell membranes employ Modified lipids with unsaturated bonds.

17. Effects of Pressure on Water Pressure dramatically alters the thermal stability and physical properties of water.

18. Hydrothermal Organic Synthesis Three techniques Gold tube reactors

19. Hydrothermal Organic Synthesis Three techniques Hydrothermal Diamond Anvil Cell

20. Hydrothermal Organic Synthesis Three techniques Flow-through Reactor

21. Hydrothermal F-T Synthesis Reactants: CO 2 + H 2 + H 2 O Catalyst: Iron metal Conditions: 300 o C 500 atm 24 hours

22. Pyruvic Acid Reactants: Pyruvic acid + CO 2 + H 2 O Conditions: 200 o C 2,000 atm 2 hours Products: A diverse suite of organic molecules

23. Hydrothermal Organic Synthesis Research Strategy

24. The Formation of C-C Bonds Under High-P Hydrothermal Conditions The Formation of C-C Bonds Under High-P Hydrothermal Conditions

25. The Formation of C-C Bonds Under High-P Hydrothermal Conditions The Formation of C-C Bonds Under High-P Hydrothermal Conditions

26. The Formation of C-C Bonds Under High-P Hydrothermal Conditions The Formation of C-C Bonds Under High-P Hydrothermal Conditions

27. Thomas Gold’s Hypothesis: Organic Synthesis in the Mantle Thomas Gold (1999) NY:Springer-Verlag.

28. Conclusions Deep life is abundant and richly varied. Cellular life can exist at pressures exceeding 1 GPa. We have much to learn about the pressure adaptations of biomolecules. High pressure facilitates and enhances many hydrothermal organic reactions, because pressure increases the temperature stability of the aqueous phase.