If life on Earth started out in geochemical environments like hydrothermal vents, then it started out from gasses like CO2, N2 and H2. Anaerobic autotrophs still live from these gasses today, and they still inhabit the Earth's crust. In the search for connections between abiotic processes in ancient geological systems and biotic processes in biological systems, it becomes evident that chemical activation (catalysis) of these gasses and a constant source of energy are key. The H2-CO2 redox reaction provides a constant source of energy and anabolic inputs, because the equilibrium lies on the side of reduced carbon compounds. Identifying geochemical catalysts that activate these gasses en route to nitrogenous organic compounds and small autocatalytic networks will be an important step towards understanding prebiotic chemistry that operates only on the basis of chemical energy, without input from solar radiation. So, if life arose in the dark depths of hydrothermal vents, then understanding reactions and catalysts that operate under such conditions is crucial for understanding origins.

中文翻译：

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催化剂，自催化作用和新陈代谢的起源。

如果地球上的生命是从地球化学环境（例如热液喷口）开始的，那么它是从二氧化碳，氮气和氢气等气体开始的。如今，厌氧自养生物仍然生活在这些气体中，它们仍然栖息在地壳中。在寻找古代地质系统中非生物过程与生物系统中生物过程之间的联系时，很明显，这些气体的化学活化（催化）和恒定的能源是关键。H2-CO2氧化还原反应提供了恒定的能量来源和合成代谢投入物，因为平衡点位于还原的碳化合物方面。识别激活这些气体并通向含氮有机化合物和小型自催化网络的地球化学催化剂，将是了解益生元化学的重要一步，该益生元化学仅基于化学能运行，而无需来自太阳辐射。因此，如果生命出现在热液喷口的黑暗深度，那么了解在这种条件下运行的反应和催化剂对于了解起源至关重要。