Unexpected Discovery: Life on Earth Had Two Origins, Scientists Find

Sabine Hossenfelder

AI-assisted summary of Unexpected Discovery: Life on Earth Had Two Origins, Scientists Find — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published: 2026-09-15

Key ideas

A study by German researchers suggests life had two distinct origins, arguing that bacteria and archaea independently developed metabolic independence from hydrothermal vents. (0:00)
Sabine Hossenfelder rates the 'two origins' paper a 7 out of 10 on her 'bullshit meter' due to alternative explanations involving gene divergence in a common ancestor. (0:00)
Rejecting John Horgan's assertion that the origin of life is permanently unsolvable, Hossenfelder compares the field's modern progress to the evolution of observational cosmology over the past forty years. (2:12)
The European Research Council is funding Project MiniLife with nearly €13 million through 2030 to build an artificial living system completely from elementary chemicals. (3:42)

Detailed notes

## Background Published on YouTube by Sabine Hossenfelder on August 16, 2026, this video examines recent scientific claims that life on Earth had two origins. According to the page description, Hossenfelder explores the research behind this hypothesis and explains why she remains optimistic that science will ultimately uncover how life began despite deep time.

## TL;DR A recent study by German researchers suggests life originated twice, arguing that ancestral bacteria and archaea independently evolved self-sufficient metabolic pathways after splitting from a hydrothermal vent-bound ancestor. Sabine critiques this interpretation with a seven out of ten on her 'bullshit meter,' noting that the protein comparative data cannot rule out standard gene divergence from a single ancestor. Dismissing John Horgan's assertion that the origin of life is permanently unsolvable, she likens modern abiogenesis research to the empirical transformation of cosmology four decades ago. She points to active laboratory breakthroughs—such as Cambridge's self-replicating RNA experiments and the multi-million-euro Project MiniLife synthetic cell initiative—as proof that experimental chemistry can chart viable physical paths from non-living matter to Darwinian evolution.

## Atmosphere & style The presentation carries Hossenfelder’s signature blend of razor-sharp analytical scrutiny, deadpan humor, and conversational clarity, punctuated by witty touches like her 'bullshit meter' and coining synthetic biology projects 'Frankencell.' The tone transitions smoothly from a grounded, skeptical deconstruction of flashy scientific headlines to an inspiring, forward-looking defense of empirical laboratory research. It feels brisk, intellectually invigorating, and refreshingly pragmatic, replacing deep-time defeatism with grounded scientific enthusiasm.

## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) A study by German researchers suggests life had two distinct origins, arguing that bacteria and archaea independently developed metabolic independence from hydrothermal vents. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) Sabine Hossenfelder rates the 'two origins' paper a 7 out of 10 on her 'bullshit meter' due to alternative explanations involving gene divergence in a common ancestor. - [02:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=132s) Rejecting John Horgan's assertion that the origin of life is permanently unsolvable, Hossenfelder compares the field's modern progress to the evolution of observational cosmology over the past forty years. - [03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) The European Research Council is funding Project MiniLife with nearly €13 million through 2030 to build an artificial living system completely from elementary chemicals.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) A new paper proposes that life had two origins based on the independent development of autonomous metabolism away from hydrothermal vents. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) The standard scientific view posits that the universal common ancestor of all life was dependent on minerals from hydrothermal seafloor vents. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) According to the new hypothesis, bacteria and archaea each independently evolved the metabolic mechanisms needed for mineral-free survival. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) Complex eukaryotic life later emerged when an archaeon engulfed a bacterium, giving rise to plants, animals, and modern organisms. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) The study's conclusions, based on protein comparisons across nearly 1,000 microorganisms, fail to rule out gene divergence from a single common ancestor. - [02:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=132s) Science writer John Horgan argued in 'The End of Science' that the origin of life is fundamentally unsolvable because competing hypotheses cannot be tested. - [03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) Origin-of-life research mirrors cosmology forty years ago, shifting from speculative models to empirical, precision science that eliminates implausible theories. - [03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) Rather than relying solely on the sparse geological fossil record, scientists are testing prebiotic pathways by synthesizing components in the laboratory. - [03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) A Cambridge team recently identified a small RNA segment capable of driving the fundamental reactions needed for replication, bolstering the RNA world hypothesis. - [03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) Project MiniLife aims to construct an artificial cell capable of metabolism, replication, information storage, and Darwinian evolution from scratch. - [03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) While lab-created life will not prove the exact path taken on early Earth, it will validate that physical pathways from chemistry to life are genuinely possible. - [03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) Origin-of-life chemistry holds a practical experimental advantage over cosmology: it is easier to create a living cell in a lab than an entire universe.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) A New Theory: Did Life Have Two Origins?

The origin of life remains one of science's grandest puzzles, yet a group of researchers in Germany has introduced a surprising twist: they claim that life on Earth actually had two origins. Their paper focuses on the evolutionary transition where the precursors of modern complex life learned how to survive and reproduce independently. The prevailing and widely accepted theory posits that the universal common ancestor of all life was originally tethered to hot hydrothermal seafloor vents, depending entirely on the minerals spewing from those vents to sustain itself.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Two Origins of Life Hypothesis accDescr: Flowchart illustrating the split from vent-dependent ancestors to independent modern life forms.

subgraph VentDep ["Hydrothermal Vent Dependent"] A["Common Ancestor<br/>(Dependent on vent minerals)"] A --> B["Ancestral Bacteria"] A --> C["Ancestral Archaea"] end

subgraph Independence ["Separate Origins of Self-Sufficiency"] B -->|"Evolved independent metabolism"| D["Free-Living Bacteria"] C -->|"Evolved independent metabolism"| E["Free-Living Archaea"] end

subgraph Endosymbiosis ["Complex Life Emergence"] E -.->|"Engulfs bacterium"| F["Eukaryotic Cell<br/>(Mitochondria / Chloroplasts)"] D -.-> F F --> G["Plants, Animals, and YouTubers"] end ```

The authors argue that this original ancestor split into two primary branches of microbial life—bacteria and archaea—both of which remained tied to vent minerals. Crucially, each lineage then independently developed the metabolic pathways needed to survive away from those hydrothermal fields. Much later in evolutionary history, a descendant of the archaea absorbed a bacterium, which became the internal energy-producing machinery of complex cells—giving rise to eukaryotes and eventually leading to "plants, animals and YouTubers." Because both groups had to solve the puzzle of mineral-free self-sufficiency on their own, the researchers define the emergence of an autonomous metabolism as two distinct origins of life.

Sabine rates this proposal a "seven out of 10 on the bullshit meter." The conclusions were reached by analyzing and comparing proteins across nearly 1,000 modern microorganisms. However, the study cannot entirely rule out an alternative explanation: the genes responsible for self-sufficiency might have evolved once in a shared common ancestor and subsequently diverged or mutated within one branch. For now, more empirical work is needed before rewriting textbooks.

[02:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=132s) John Horgan's Skepticism and the Sponsor Interlude

The core philosophical question is whether humanity will ever truly reconstruct the precise chemical steps, reactions, and mutations that birthed life, or if the vast expanse of deep time has wiped the evidence clean. Science writer John Horgan famously argued in his book *The End of Science* that the origin of life is a permanently unsolvable mystery where competing hypotheses can never truly be differentiated. Sabine firmly rejects Horgan's pessimism.

Before detailing why, the discussion turns to video sponsor FarmKind, an animal welfare non-profit. The context highlights that roughly 13 farmed animals exist for every person on Earth, with the vast majority subjected to horrific, unnecessary suffering under factory farming conditions. While only 3% of total animal donations typically reach farmed animals, FarmKind directs 100% of donor funding to vetted high-impact charities working to eliminate battery cages for hens, free breeding sows from farrowing crates, and reform industrial agriculture. A modest recurring gift of 50 cents a day (€15 a month) spares approximately 350 animals each year from factory farm abuse.

[03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) Why the Origin of Life Can Be Solved: Laboratory Synthesis

The current state of origin-of-life research mirrors the field of cosmology forty years ago. Studying the dawn of the universe was once considered pure mathematical speculation, but the field transformed into a precision science through dramatic observational breakthroughs—including detailed mappings of the cosmic microwave background, large galaxy surveys, and high-precision spectral analysis. Improved analytical methods did not yield a universally accepted consensus overnight, but they steadily eliminated implausible theories and refined the accepted picture. A similar empirical narrowing is occurring in abiogenesis studies.

```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Comparison of Cosmological and Abiogenesis Research Pathways accDescr: Flowchart illustrating how both cosmology and origin-of-life research transition from speculation to empirical verification.

subgraph Cosmology ["Cosmological Evolution (1980s–Present)"] C1["Speculative Models"] --> C2["CMB & Galaxy Surveys"] C2 --> C3["Refined Standard Model"] end

subgraph Abiogenesis ["Origin of Life Research (Current)"] A1["Fossil Record Speculation"] --> A2["Lab Synthesis & Ribozymes"] A2 --> A3["Engineered Synthetic Life<br/>(MiniLife / Frankencell)"] end ```

Rather than being trapped trying to extract ancient biochemistry out of worn geological fossils, modern researchers are actively recreating prebiotic pathways from scratch in the laboratory:

- **Self-Replicating RNA:** Earlier in the year, a Cambridge team identified a small RNA segment capable of driving the fundamental chemical reactions required for replication. Although the RNA chain still required specialized chemical coaxing to complete the cycle, it represents a substantial step forward for the viability of the RNA world hypothesis. - **Project MiniLife:** Backed by nearly €13 million from the European Research Council running through 2030, this initiative aims to assemble an artificial living system completely from elementary chemicals. The benchmark goal is an entity possessing a physical boundary that sustains itself, metabolizes, replicates, transmits genetic information, and evolves via natural selection.

Sabine jokes that the project ought to be christened "Frankencell." Even if MiniLife achieves full self-replication, it won't prove Earth life originated via identical chemistry; however, it will establish at least one proven physical path from raw chemistry to Darwinian evolution. Ultimately, abiogenesis possesses one enormous advantage over cosmological physics: "It's easier to create a cell in a laboratory than a universe."

## Notable quotes > The origin of life is one of the biggest mysteries left in science. — Sabine Hossenfelder

> Now a group of researchers says there wasn't just one origin, there were two. — Sabine Hossenfelder

> despite how impossibly long ago it all happened, I'm actually optimistic that we'll one day work out how life began. — Sabine Hossenfelder

> [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) plants, animals and YouTubers — Sabine Hossenfelder

> [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=0s) seven out of 10 on the bullshit meter — Sabine Hossenfelder

> If you sign up for just 50 cents a day, that's $15 a month, you'll save 350 animals in a year from unnecessary suffering. — Sabine Hossenfelder

> [03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) Frankencell — Sabine Hossenfelder

> [03:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8&t=222s) It's easier to create a cell in a laboratory than a universe. — Sabine Hossenfelder

## Mentioned Sabine Hossenfelder, John Horgan, The End of Science, FarmKind, European Research Council, MiniLife, Science Advances

## Video description If you sign up for just 50 cents a day, that's $15 a month, you'll save 350 animals in a year from unnecessary suffering. Use my code "sabine" for a 50% boost on monthly donations https://farmkind.giving/sabine

The origin of life is one of the biggest mysteries left in science. Now a group of researchers says there wasn't just one origin, there were two. And I want to explain why, despite how impossibly long ago it all happened, I'm actually optimistic that we'll one day work out how life began. Let's take a look.

#science #sciencenews #biology #evolution

Paper here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aef3128

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#science #sciencenews #originoflife

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edAuSPGao8)

中文简报

科学家发现地球生命可能存在两个起源德国研究人员的一项最新研究表明生命可能起源过两次，认为细菌和古菌的祖先在脱离热液喷口处的祖先分化后，各自独立演化出了自给自足的代谢途径。Sabine在她的“胡说八道量表”上给这一解读打了7分（满分10分），并指出蛋白质对比数据无法排除来自单一祖先的标准基因分化可能性。她反驳了John Horgan关于生命起源永远不可解的断言，将现代自然发生说研究比作四十年前宇宙学向实证科学的转变。她指出，剑桥大学的自复制RNA实验以及耗资数百万欧元的人造细胞计划Project MiniLife等积极的实验室突破证明，实验化学能够描绘出从非生命物质走向达尔文式演化的切实物理路径。德国研究人员的一项研究表明生命具有两个不同的起源，认为细菌和古菌各自独立演化出了脱离热液喷口的代谢独立性。 (0:00) Sabine Hossenfelder在她的“胡说八道量表”上给这篇“双重起源”论文打了7分（满分10分），理由是存在共同祖先基因分化等替代解释。 (0:00) Hossenfelder反驳了John Horgan关于生命起源永远无法破解的论断，并将该领域当下的进展比作过去四十年间观测宇宙学的发展演变。 (2:12) 欧洲研究委员会正为Project MiniLife项目资助近1300万欧元直至2030年，旨在完全利用基本化学物质构建一个人工生命系统。 (3:42)

Reading summary

Sabine Hossenfelder evaluates a recent hypothesis proposing that life on Earth originated twice through independent evolutionary pathways, arguing that while this specific phylogenetic claim lacks decisive evidence, laboratory synthesis is transforming the origin of life into an empirically solvable science. Evaluating the Two-Origins Metabolic Hypothesis (0:00) A team of researchers in Germany proposed that life on Earth had two distinct origins, defining the origin of life as the evolutionary emergence of metabolic autonomy. Under the widely accepted model, the universal common ancestor of life was tethered to mineral-rich hydrothermal seafloor vents for survival. The researchers argue that this ancestor split into bacteria and archaea while still dependent on vents, after which each lineage independently developed the metabolic pathways necessary to survive away from those hydrothermal environments. Much later, an archaeal cell engulfed a bacterium via endosymbiosis to produce eukaryotic cells, leading to complex multicellular life. Hossenfelder rates this hypothesis a 'seven out of 10 on the bullshit meter.' The authors based their conclusion on comparative protein analyses across nearly 1,000 modern microorganisms. However, Hossenfelder emphasizes that this analysis cannot exclude an alternative explanation: the genes responsible for autonomous metabolism may have evolved just once in a common ancestor and subsequently mutated or diverged within one branch. Consequently, the claim requires substantial empirical validation before overturning standard models. Parallels to Cosmology and Overcoming Scientific Pessimism (2:12) In *The End of Science*, science writer John Horgan argued that the origin of life is a permanently unsolvable mystery because deep time has erased the historical and chemical evidence. Hossenfelder rejects this view, comparing the trajectory of abiogenesis research to the development of cosmology over the past forty years. Cosmology was once dismissed as untestable mathematical speculation, but observational tools—such as the cosmic microwave background, galaxy surveys, and high-precision spectral analysis—progressively eliminated unviable theories and established a precise standard model. A similar shift toward empirical testing is occurring in origin-of-life research. Rather than relying entirely on worn geological fossils that cannot preserve fine biochemical reactions, researchers are shifting toward testing whether prebiotic chemical steps can be recreated directly under controlled conditions. Synthetic Biology and Validating Prebiotic Pathways (3:42) Recent laboratory experiments are actively testing the plausibility of prebiotic chemical mechanisms. Earlier in the year, a team at the University of Cambridge identified a small RNA segment capable of driving the primary chemical reactions needed for self-replication, providing tangible experimental backing for the RNA world hypothesis despite requiring chemical intervention to complete its cycle. Simultaneously, the European Research Council has backed Project MiniLife with nearly €13 million through 2030. The project aims to synthesize an autonomous living cell entirely from elementary chemicals, requiring a physical boundary, metabolism, self-replication, and the ability to evolve under natural selection. Hossenfelder notes that successfully assembling an artificial cell would not prove that historical life on Earth emerged through that precise sequence, but it would empirically demonstrate at least one physically viable pathway from raw chemistry to Darwinian evolution. While the exact chemical history of Earth's earliest life remains unconfirmed, synthetic biology and laboratory replication offer an empirical method to narrow down viable hypotheses, benefiting from the fact that synthesizing a living cell in a laboratory is fundamentally more achievable than recreating a universe.

Source quotes

Sabine Hossenfelder: The origin of life is one of the biggest mysteries left in science. Sabine Hossenfelder: Now a group of researchers says there wasn't just one origin, there were two. Sabine Hossenfelder: despite how impossibly long ago it all happened, I'm actually optimistic that we'll one day work out how life began. [0:00] Sabine Hossenfelder: plants, animals and YouTubers [0:00] Sabine Hossenfelder: seven out of 10 on the bullshit meter Sabine Hossenfelder: If you sign up for just 50 cents a day, that's $15 a month, you'll save 350 animals in a year from unnecessary suffering. [3:42] Sabine Hossenfelder: Frankencell [3:42] Sabine Hossenfelder: It's easier to create a cell in a laboratory than a universe.

Original transcript

[0:00] The origin of life on our planet and possibly elsewhere is one of the biggest remaining [0:05] mysteries in science. But the origin of life is so yesterday. Today I have a new paper from [0:13] scientists who claim that life had two origins. And I want to explain why I'm optimistic that [0:20] we'll indeed figure out how life began eventually. This new study comes from a group of researchers [0:26] in Germany. They find that life had two origins in the sense that two of the predecessors of [0:32] today's complex life had to develop the ability to independently reproduce. They start from the [0:39] hypothesis that the common ancestor of all forms of life depended on minerals in hot seafloor vents [0:46] to survive. This is currently the most widely accepted theory for the origin of life on Earth. [0:51] The new thing is now that they say this ancestor then branched into two types of microbial life, [0:57] bacteria and ara each of which was still dependent on the vents minerals. And each [1:03] group then separately evolved the ability to live independently without the vents minerals. [1:08] Much later descendant of the archa absorbed the bacterium which became the energy producing part [1:14] of complex cells that eventually gave rise to plants, animals and YouTubers. So this is why [1:20] they say life had two origins because these two microorganisms both had to figure out how to [1:27] survive away from the vent. It's the development of an entirely self-sufficient metabolism that [1:35] they call the origin of life. The researchers say they inferred this by comparing proteins from [1:41] almost 1,000 modern microorganisms. I give this a seven out of 10 on the [ __ ] meter because while [1:47] this is an interesting study, it can't rule out the possibility that the self-sufficiency genes [1:53] had a common origin but then they mutated later in one of the branches. Basically, [1:59] more work is needed. Will we ever solve this problem? Will we ever be able to say these [2:05] were the ingredients, these were the chemical reactions, the mutations that led to life? or [2:12] has it been too long ago and the evidence will forever remain vague? The origin of life is one [2:17] of the topics that John Horgan discusses in his book, The End of Science. He argues [2:22] that it'll remain impossible to tell different hypothesis apart. I think he's wrong. But first, [2:29] a word from our sponsor. I know you normally skip the art, but I think this one's worth your time. [2:35] This video was sponsored by FarmKind, a nonprofit organization for animal welfare. For every person [2:42] on the planet, there are about 13 farmed animals and most of them live in horrific conditions. And [2:50] the worst thing is that most of their suffering is unnecessary. Only 3% of animal donations go [2:57] to farmed animals and FarmKind exists to fix this. They work with experts to select the top [3:03] charities that are saving animals from cruelty, getting hands out of cages, getting mother pigs [3:08] out of crates so they can look after their piglets, and pushing the food system away [3:13] from factory farming altogether. FarmKind takes no cut. 100% of your donation goes to the charities, [3:20] and you'll see how many animals your gift will help. Even tiny donations change real lives. 50 [3:28] cents a day, €15 a month. saves around 350 animals a year from suffering. And if you use my code, [3:35] then your monthly donation gets a 50% boost. Links in the description. And now back to the episode. I [3:42] think Horgan's wrong. I think the situation with the origin of life studies today is similar to [3:47] cosmology 40 years ago, the area that studies the origin of the universe. This used to be almost [3:54] entirely speculation. But since then, observations have become dramatically better from the cosmic [3:59] microwave background to galaxy surveys to precise spectral measurements. And it's not just the data. [4:05] Scientists also now understand much better how to extract information from the data. The result [4:11] of this has not been that one day to the next we had a theory for the origin of the universe that [4:17] everyone agreed on, but the details have become increasingly clear. And I think it'll be similar [4:22] for the origin of life. Data will become better and hypothesis will be narrowed down. And partly [4:28] I think that Hogan's wrong because the research on the origin of life is no longer just trying to [4:34] reconstruct the past from fossils. Scientists have for a long time tried to reproduce the [4:40] necessary chemical processes in the laboratory and increasingly they're successful. For example, [4:45] earlier this year, researchers in Cambridge reported that they found a small piece of RNA that [4:52] could undergo the chemical reactions necessary for reproducing itself. Now, this molecule did [4:59] not actually reproduce itself. It still needed some coaxing to get the chemistry to work out, but [5:06] it's a big step forward and makes the RNA origin of life much more plausible. And scientists are [5:13] trying something even more ambitious. The European Research Council spending almost €13 million on a [5:20] project called MiniLife, which will run until 2030. The researchers in the project want to [5:26] start from elementary chemicals to create a system that maintains itself, has a boundary, reproduces, [5:32] passes on information, and evolves through natural selection. It might not work, and even success [5:38] would not prove that life on Earth began in the same way. But it would demonstrate at least one [5:43] complete route from chemistry to evolution, mini life. I think they should have called it [5:49] Frankencell. In any case, the origin of life has a big advantage over the origin of the universe. [5:56] It's easier to create a cell in a laboratory than a universe. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.