The Importance of Water for Life
Liquid water is essential for life as we know it, i.e. carbon-based life. Although other compound-solvent pairs that could exist in very specific physical environments could be envisaged, the elements essential to carbon and water-based life are among the most common in the universe. Carbon molecule...
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description | Liquid water is essential for life as we know it, i.e. carbon-based life. Although other compound-solvent pairs that could exist in very specific physical environments could be envisaged, the elements essential to carbon and water-based life are among the most common in the universe. Carbon molecules and liquid water have physical and chemical properties that make them optimised compound-solvent pairs. Liquid water is essential for important prebiotic reactions. But equally important for the emergence of life is the contact of carbon molecules in liquid water with hot rocks and minerals. We here review the environmental conditions of the early Earth, as soon as it had liquid water at its surface and was habitable. Basing our approach to life as a “cosmic phenomenon” (de Duve
1995
), i.e. a chemical continuum, we briefly address the various hypotheses for the origin of life, noting their relevance with respect to early environmental conditions. It appears that hydrothermal environments were important in this respect. We continue with the record of early life noting that, by 3.5 Ga, when the sedimentary environment started being well-preserved, anaerobic life forms had colonised all habitable microenvironments from the sea floor to exposed beach environments and, possibly, in the photic planktonic zone of the sea. Life on Earth had also evolved to the relatively sophisticated stage of anoxygenic photosynthesis. We conclude with an evaluation of the potential for habitability and colonisation of other planets and satellites in the Solar System, noting that the most common life forms in the Solar System and probably in the Universe would be similar to terrestrial chemotrophs whose carbon source is either reduced carbon or CO
2
dissolved in water and whose energy would be sourced from oxidized carbon, H
2
, or other transition elements. |
doi_str_mv | 10.1007/s11214-018-0476-7 |
format | Article |
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1995
), i.e. a chemical continuum, we briefly address the various hypotheses for the origin of life, noting their relevance with respect to early environmental conditions. It appears that hydrothermal environments were important in this respect. We continue with the record of early life noting that, by 3.5 Ga, when the sedimentary environment started being well-preserved, anaerobic life forms had colonised all habitable microenvironments from the sea floor to exposed beach environments and, possibly, in the photic planktonic zone of the sea. Life on Earth had also evolved to the relatively sophisticated stage of anoxygenic photosynthesis. We conclude with an evaluation of the potential for habitability and colonisation of other planets and satellites in the Solar System, noting that the most common life forms in the Solar System and probably in the Universe would be similar to terrestrial chemotrophs whose carbon source is either reduced carbon or CO
2
dissolved in water and whose energy would be sourced from oxidized carbon, H
2
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1995
), i.e. a chemical continuum, we briefly address the various hypotheses for the origin of life, noting their relevance with respect to early environmental conditions. It appears that hydrothermal environments were important in this respect. We continue with the record of early life noting that, by 3.5 Ga, when the sedimentary environment started being well-preserved, anaerobic life forms had colonised all habitable microenvironments from the sea floor to exposed beach environments and, possibly, in the photic planktonic zone of the sea. Life on Earth had also evolved to the relatively sophisticated stage of anoxygenic photosynthesis. We conclude with an evaluation of the potential for habitability and colonisation of other planets and satellites in the Solar System, noting that the most common life forms in the Solar System and probably in the Universe would be similar to terrestrial chemotrophs whose carbon source is either reduced carbon or CO
2
dissolved in water and whose energy would be sourced from oxidized carbon, H
2
, or other transition elements.</description><subject>Aerospace Technology and Astronautics</subject><subject>Astrophysics and Astroparticles</subject><subject>Carbon</subject><subject>Carbon dioxide</subject><subject>Carbon sources</subject><subject>Chemical properties</subject><subject>Chemical Sciences</subject><subject>Environmental conditions</subject><subject>Habitability</subject><subject>Life on Earth</subject><subject>Microenvironments</subject><subject>Ocean floor</subject><subject>Origin of life</subject><subject>Photosynthesis</subject><subject>Physics</subject><subject>Physics and Astronomy</subject><subject>Planetology</subject><subject>Planets</subject><subject>Planets and Satellites</subject><subject>Solar system</subject><subject>Solvents</subject><subject>Space Exploration and Astronautics</subject><subject>Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics</subject><subject>The Delivery of Water to Protoplanets</subject><subject>Universe</subject><subject>Water</subject><issn>0038-6308</issn><issn>1572-9672</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2018</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><sourceid>ABUWG</sourceid><sourceid>AFKRA</sourceid><sourceid>AZQEC</sourceid><sourceid>BENPR</sourceid><sourceid>CCPQU</sourceid><sourceid>DWQXO</sourceid><sourceid>GNUQQ</sourceid><recordid>eNp1kMFKAzEQhoMoWKsP4G3Bk4foTHYz2T2Wom1hwUvFY8imiW1pm5psBd_eXVb05Glg-P6PmZ-xW4QHBFCPCVFgwQFLDoUirs7YCKUSvCIlztkIIC855VBesquUtgB9So1Ytly7bLE_htiag3VZ8NmbaV3MfIhZvfHuml14s0vu5meO2evz03I65_XLbDGd1NzmElpukLzxQlrnRE7eE6G3q6JRUFVO2aaQRklrQNhSNN1hVooVNZCDEkYo6_Ixux-8a7PTx7jZm_ilg9no-aTW_Q6wIioq-sSOvRvYYwwfJ5davQ2neOjO0wKAVEGSegoHysaQUnT-V4ug-_f1UFpnLnVfmlZdRgyZ1LGHdxf_zP-HvgGXaWux</recordid><startdate>20180301</startdate><enddate>20180301</enddate><creator>Westall, Frances</creator><creator>Brack, André</creator><general>Springer Netherlands</general><general>Springer Nature B.V</general><general>Springer Verlag</general><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>3V.</scope><scope>7TG</scope><scope>7XB</scope><scope>88I</scope><scope>8FD</scope><scope>8FE</scope><scope>8FG</scope><scope>8FK</scope><scope>ABUWG</scope><scope>AFKRA</scope><scope>ARAPS</scope><scope>AZQEC</scope><scope>BENPR</scope><scope>BGLVJ</scope><scope>CCPQU</scope><scope>DWQXO</scope><scope>GNUQQ</scope><scope>H8D</scope><scope>HCIFZ</scope><scope>KL.</scope><scope>L7M</scope><scope>M2P</scope><scope>P5Z</scope><scope>P62</scope><scope>PQEST</scope><scope>PQQKQ</scope><scope>PQUKI</scope><scope>Q9U</scope><scope>1XC</scope><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1938-5823</orcidid></search><sort><creationdate>20180301</creationdate><title>The Importance of Water for Life</title><author>Westall, Frances ; Brack, André</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c350t-a16faf25cee236ff661fcd4b7099e7cb45a75ca02c82b157c52d6b03072a27ce3</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2018</creationdate><topic>Aerospace Technology and Astronautics</topic><topic>Astrophysics and Astroparticles</topic><topic>Carbon</topic><topic>Carbon dioxide</topic><topic>Carbon sources</topic><topic>Chemical properties</topic><topic>Chemical Sciences</topic><topic>Environmental conditions</topic><topic>Habitability</topic><topic>Life on Earth</topic><topic>Microenvironments</topic><topic>Ocean floor</topic><topic>Origin of life</topic><topic>Photosynthesis</topic><topic>Physics</topic><topic>Physics and Astronomy</topic><topic>Planetology</topic><topic>Planets</topic><topic>Planets and Satellites</topic><topic>Solar system</topic><topic>Solvents</topic><topic>Space Exploration and Astronautics</topic><topic>Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics</topic><topic>The Delivery of Water to Protoplanets</topic><topic>Universe</topic><topic>Water</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Westall, Frances</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Brack, André</creatorcontrib><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Corporate)</collection><collection>Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>Science Database (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>Technology Research Database</collection><collection>ProQuest SciTech Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Technology Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni) (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central UK/Ireland</collection><collection>Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Essentials</collection><collection>ProQuest Central</collection><collection>Technology Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest One Community College</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Korea</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Student</collection><collection>Aerospace Database</collection><collection>SciTech Premium Collection</collection><collection>Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts - Academic</collection><collection>Advanced Technologies Database with Aerospace</collection><collection>Science Database</collection><collection>Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Database</collection><collection>ProQuest Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic Eastern Edition (DO NOT USE)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic UKI Edition</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Basic</collection><collection>Hyper Article en Ligne (HAL)</collection><jtitle>Space science reviews</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Westall, Frances</au><au>Brack, André</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>The Importance of Water for Life</atitle><jtitle>Space science reviews</jtitle><stitle>Space Sci Rev</stitle><date>2018-03-01</date><risdate>2018</risdate><volume>214</volume><issue>2</issue><spage>1</spage><epage>23</epage><pages>1-23</pages><artnum>50</artnum><issn>0038-6308</issn><eissn>1572-9672</eissn><abstract>Liquid water is essential for life as we know it, i.e. carbon-based life. Although other compound-solvent pairs that could exist in very specific physical environments could be envisaged, the elements essential to carbon and water-based life are among the most common in the universe. Carbon molecules and liquid water have physical and chemical properties that make them optimised compound-solvent pairs. Liquid water is essential for important prebiotic reactions. But equally important for the emergence of life is the contact of carbon molecules in liquid water with hot rocks and minerals. We here review the environmental conditions of the early Earth, as soon as it had liquid water at its surface and was habitable. Basing our approach to life as a “cosmic phenomenon” (de Duve
1995
), i.e. a chemical continuum, we briefly address the various hypotheses for the origin of life, noting their relevance with respect to early environmental conditions. It appears that hydrothermal environments were important in this respect. We continue with the record of early life noting that, by 3.5 Ga, when the sedimentary environment started being well-preserved, anaerobic life forms had colonised all habitable microenvironments from the sea floor to exposed beach environments and, possibly, in the photic planktonic zone of the sea. Life on Earth had also evolved to the relatively sophisticated stage of anoxygenic photosynthesis. We conclude with an evaluation of the potential for habitability and colonisation of other planets and satellites in the Solar System, noting that the most common life forms in the Solar System and probably in the Universe would be similar to terrestrial chemotrophs whose carbon source is either reduced carbon or CO
2
dissolved in water and whose energy would be sourced from oxidized carbon, H
2
, or other transition elements.</abstract><cop>Dordrecht</cop><pub>Springer Netherlands</pub><doi>10.1007/s11214-018-0476-7</doi><tpages>23</tpages><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1938-5823</orcidid></addata></record> |
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subjects | Aerospace Technology and Astronautics Astrophysics and Astroparticles Carbon Carbon dioxide Carbon sources Chemical properties Chemical Sciences Environmental conditions Habitability Life on Earth Microenvironments Ocean floor Origin of life Photosynthesis Physics Physics and Astronomy Planetology Planets Planets and Satellites Solar system Solvents Space Exploration and Astronautics Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics The Delivery of Water to Protoplanets Universe Water |
title | The Importance of Water for Life |
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