The Dirt That Refused to Die

# Summary French biochemist Sébastien Fontaine discovered that sterilized soil continued to emit carbon dioxide for six years despite being completely devoid of microbial life, suggesting that metabolic processes—biochemical reactions that power living cells—can occur in non-living geological systems. His 2025 study proposes that metabolism may not be unique to life and could have even preceded the origin of life on Earth, fundamentally challenging the understanding of what distinguishes living chemistry from geological chemistry.