Extremophiles and the Origin of Life

Extremophiles 2002 -- Rossi et al. 185 (13): 3683 -- The Journal of Bacteriology: "Though global phylogenetic models predict that early organisms were hyperthermophiles, this hypothesis is not universally accepted (12). As shown by E. Nisbet (University of London), the preponderance of current geological and geochemical evidence indicates that earth remained hot for several hundred million years, due to frequent meteorite impacts that were capable of heating oceans and the atmosphere up to 100�C. Hyperthermophiles could have been either the first living organisms or the only survivors following such sterilizing events. For these reasons, 'hot' versus 'cold' origin-of-life theories are hotly debated." Full Text (PDF)