ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Iron–sulfur world hypothesis

Imagine that a long time ago, before humans even existed, there was a world where iron and sulfur were the most important things. This world was different from the one we know today because there was no oxygen in the air.

This world was full of tiny living things, called bacteria, that used the iron and sulfur to survive. They would use the energy from the iron and sulfur to create more of themselves and grow bigger.

As time went on, these bacteria started to form groups and work together. They would create structures out of the iron and sulfur that would protect them and help them survive better.

Eventually, these structures became so complex that they started to resemble the cells that make up all living things today. This is called the iron-sulfur world hypothesis, and scientists think it may be one way that life on Earth began.

So, in short, the iron-sulfur world hypothesis is an idea that suggests life may have originated in a world where iron and sulfur were the main building blocks, and that early bacteria used these elements to create complex structures that eventually evolved into the cells that make up all living things today.
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