Is H(2) the Universal Energy Source for Long-Term Survival?

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biochemistry
• Astrobiology

Background:

• Anabiosis, or latent life, presents a time discrepancy between finding viable ancient microbes and molecular degradation (DNA depurination, amino acid racemization).
• Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been omnipresent in the biosphere since life's origin.
• H2 possesses properties suitable for cellular energy, including cell penetration and involvement in biochemical reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To revisit the phenomenon of anabiosis and address the discrepancy in microbial survival over geological timescales.
• To propose molecular hydrogen (H2) as a potential energy source for microbial anabiosis.
• To explain how microbes survive extreme longevity despite molecular degradation processes.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of anabiosis and microbial survival mechanisms.
• Analysis of the chemical properties and biological roles of molecular hydrogen (H2).
• Hypothetical modeling of H2's role in cellular metabolism and counteracting degradation.

Main Results:

• H2's properties (penetration, low activation energy, proton/electron generation) make it a strong candidate for microbial survival energy.
• Even at low environmental concentrations, H2 allows sufficient time for microbial metabolism to counteract racemization and depurination.
• A hypothesis is presented explaining the discrepancy between microbial viability and molecular decay over time.

Conclusions:

• Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a plausible energy source enabling microbial anabiosis and long-term survival.
• The proposed mechanism addresses the paradox of finding viable ancient microorganisms.
• This highlights H2's fundamental role in the biosphere's history and microbial resilience.