The Primordial Ignition Hypothesis

This paper presents the Primordial Ignition Hypothesis (PIH), a quantitative and falsifiable theory demonstrating that the origin of life (abiogenesis) is a deterministic outcome of a  coupled geophysical control function  on wet, rocky, geologically active planets. The work reframes abiogenesis from a problem of improbable chemistry into a planetary process governed by non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Core Mechanism: The Geophysical Control Function Life emerges from the synergistic interaction of three planetary components: Quantitative Validation via Computational Modeling Using the  Hydrothermal Instability & Speciation Simulator (HISS)  and the  Polymer Success Score (PSS)  metric, we demonstrate that only the fully coupled system achieves viability (PSS = 0.96). Single-component scenarios fail: Heat-only (PSS=0.21), H₂-only (PSS=0.05). This 45-fold synergistic improvement provides quantitative proof that all three geophysical components are  necessary and insufficient alone . Testable Predictions for Abiogenesis The hypothesis generates five specific, falsifiable predictions for laboratory validation: Implications for Astrobiology and the Fermi Paradox The theory predicts that  abiogenesis is a non-bottleneck . Microbial life should be common on planets with subsurface hydrothermal activity, directing the search for extraterrestrial life to worlds like  Enceladus  and  Europa . The framework seamlessly integrates with and provides a physical foundation for  RNA World  and  Metabolism-First  hypotheses, explaining how their requisite conditions are geophysically generated. This work transforms the origin of life from a historical puzzle into a testable, planetary science. Keywords:  Abiogenesis, Origin of Life, Primordial Ignition Hypothesis, Hydrothermal Vents, Radiolysis, Mineral Templating, Thermophoresis, Prebiotic Chemistry, Astrobiology, Fermi Paradox, Polymer Success Score, HISS Model, Geophysical Control Function, Enceladus, Europa.