Studying prebiotic chemistry at hydrothermal vents conditions – ODEVIE

Are the hydrothermal vents the cradle of prebiotic molecules at the origin of life? In order to answer this question, the aim of the ODEVIE project is to design an hydrothermal vent simulation experiment for abiotic synthesis that allow for increased control of thermodynamic and hydrodynamic conditions with in situ analysis under extreme pressure and temperature conditions. This proposal relies on four main objectives that are: i) The understanding of the thermo-hydrodynamics of multi-components fluids systems undergoing thermal cycles in deep-sea vents configurations (the hydrothermal pump), (ii) the identification of the mechanisms involved in prebiotic chemical reactions using fast screening approaches coupled to in situ characterizations techniques, (iii) the investigation of geo-catalytic reactions at representative conditions and (iv) the evaluation of the generation of complex prebiotic molecules through thermo-hydro-geochemical processes occurring near hydrothermal vents.