Ocean memory could be the earliest physical, geological and geochemical processes in a global ocean that include hydrothermal systems, plate tectonics and subduction, resulting in the origin of organisms and viruses and their evolution into higher organisms.
John Baross’s research specialty is the ecology, physiology and molecular phylogeny of microorganisms from deep-sea hydrothermal vent and subseafloor environments. He has particular interests in the microbiology of extreme environments and in the significance of early Earth history and submarine hydrothermal vent systems for understanding the origin and evolution of life, and the possibility of life on other planets or moons in similar settings. The ocean’s memories of early life and its origin, viruses, and the evolutionary process deeply influence his thinking across these many areas of interest.
