New article - Early Earth metabolism featured in BIOspektrum
Scientists from the CRC explore how hydrothermal vents could have supplied energy to early life
17.09.2026
William D. Orsi, Dina Grohmann, Robert Reichelt & Vanessa Helmbrecht
BIOSpektrum https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12268-026-2805-9.pdf
How might life have obtained energy on the early Earth? William Orsi and Vanessa Helmbrecht, researchers in our CRC, have written a German-language article for BIOspektrum together with Dina Grohmann and Robert Reichelt. It builds on their 2025 study, which showed that hydrogen produced by geological reactions in simulated hydrothermal vents can support the growth of a microorganism. An image from the scientists’ experiments was also selected for the cover of the issue.