Conjecture and hypothesis: The importance of reality checks
David Deamer
Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz CA 95060, USA
Corresponding author email
This article is part of the Thematic Series "From prebiotic chemistry to molecular evolution".
Guest Editor: L. Cronin
Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 620–624. doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.60
Received 01 Jan 2017, Accepted 15 Mar 2017, Published 28 Mar 2017
Abstract
In origins of life research, it is important to understand the difference between conjecture and hypothesis. This commentary explores the difference and recommends alternative hypotheses as a way to advance our understanding of how life can begin on the Earth and other habitable planets. As an example of how this approach can be used, two conditions have been proposed for sites conducive to the origin of life: hydrothermal vents in salty seawater, and fresh water hydrothermal fields associated with volcanic landmasses. These are considered as alternative hypotheses and the accumulating weight of evidence for each site is described and analyzed.
Keywords: hydrothermal fields; hydrothermal vents; origin of life; polymerization by condensation; protocells
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