Toward a Process-Driven Model for the Origin of Life


Everything Has a Process

In The Fractal Gospel, we laid a foundation: the universe is not ruled by chance or by magic, but by process. Every phenomenon we observe—from the formation of stars to the growth of a single cell—unfolds through a sequence of lawful, discoverable steps.

Why should the origin of life be any different?

Beyond Chance, Beyond Miracle

I believe the answer to life’s beginnings lies not in improbable chance nor in unexplained phenomena, but in lawful, fractal processes inherent in the structure of the cosmos. In this view, life’s emergence was a guided unfolding of natural laws, encoded in the very fabric of reality.

In the first edition of The Fractal Gospel, our Origin of Life chapter focused on metabolism-first models: the idea that life began with self-sustaining cycles of chemical reactions driven by energy gradients. This is already a move toward process and away from chance. But the picture is becoming clearer.

The Missing Driver: Dark Oxygen

Recent research has highlighted a potential key player: dark oxygen—oxygen produced in environments devoid of photosynthesis or light, through geochemical and mineral-driven processes.

Sources of dark oxygen include:

  • Water-rock reactions (serpentinization)

  • Metal oxide catalysis

  • Radical chemistry in hydrothermal vents

  • Polymetallic ocean nodules

This oxygen, though subtle, provides the oxidizing power and energy gradients needed to drive the emergence of complex organic chemistry. It transforms otherwise inert environments into reactive, life-conducive landscapes.

The Resonant Scaffold: Crystals

Equally essential are crystals. These are nature’s great resonators and templates. Crystals:

  • Provide structured surfaces for molecular assembly

  • Stabilize fragile intermediates

  • Create micro-environments that concentrate reactants

  • Resonantly couple energy and matter

In essence, crystals serve as the scaffolding upon which life’s first patterns could emerge.

A Unified Process

When we bring these insights together, a powerful, testable hypothesis emerges:

Crystals + Dark Oxygen + Energy Gradients = Process-Driven Pathway to Life

Crystals provide the ordered template; dark oxygen supplies the driving energy and redox power; together they create the structured, resonant environment in which life can emerge lawfully and reproducibly.

Harmony in Process

This is no random accident. It is fractal harmony in action—patterns encoded in matter and energy, guiding the dance of atoms toward life. A process, not a miracle. A law, not a chance event.

This is why I believe the next frontier in origin-of-life research lies in this synthesis: crystals, dark oxygen, and lawful process.

Toward a New Scientific Dialogue

I welcome dialogue with fellow thinkers—scientists, philosophers, and explorers. Together, we can refine this model, test it, and move toward a deeper understanding of how life truly began.

References & Ongoing Research

Several research streams already point in this direction:

  • Dark oxygen in hydrothermal vents (Anantharaman et al., 2016)

  • Abiotic oxygen from water-rock reactions (Sleep et al., 2001)

  • Fenton chemistry driving prebiotic oxidation (Preiner et al., 2020)

  • Mineral templating and electrochemical gradients (Russell et al.)

The pieces are coming together. The process is unfolding. The patterns are being revealed.

Stay tuned. The exploration continues.