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Experimental study shows mineral electrochemistry drives organic synthesis via CO2 reduction in hydrothermal conditions, indicating potential for extraterrestrial life.
Hydrothermal systems in the ocean can behave like fuel cells when minerals connect reduced vent fluids to oxidized seawater, sustaining electrical potentials that drive reactivity. A Nature Communications study experimentally demonstrates how that potential could reduce CO2 on minerals to form organic products under conditions relevant from the early Earth to Enceladus.
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Seneca J. Velling (2026) studied this question.
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