It has been proposed that amino acid synthesis could have occurred deep in the Earth's crust and that these amino acids were subsequently shot up along with hydrothermal fluids into cooler waters, where lower temperatures and the presence of clay minerals would have fostered the formation of peptides and protocells.
Propúxose que a síntese de aminoácidos puido ter ocorrido en zonas profundas da codia terrestre e que estes aminoácidos eran posteriormente emitidos xunto cos fluídos dos respiradoiros hidrotermais a augas máis frías, onde as baixas temperaturas e a presenza de minerais arxilosos tería promovido a formación de péptidos e protocélulas.