POLETicians in the Mud: Preprokaryotic Organismal Lifeforms Existing Today (POLET) Hypothesis

The discovery of Asgard archaea has significantly altered our understanding of eukaryotic origins, prompting a shift from the classical three-domain model to a two-domain framework in which Eukarya emerge from within Archaea. Asgard archaea possess eukaryotic signature proteins and exhibit cytoskeletal membrane protrusions reminiscent of primitive engulfment, suggesting a plausible intermediate in the evolution of cellular complexity. Building on this insight, the POLET (Preprokaryotic Organismal Lifeforms Existing Today) hypothesis proposes that even more ancient, non-enzymatic life forms—termed POLETicians—may still exist in deep, anoxic sediments. These hypothetical entities would predate prokaryotes, lacking DNA genomes and complex enzymatic systems, and instead rely on ultra-slow metabolic cycles, spontaneous self-assembly, and primitive ribozyme-mediated processes such as RNA–amino acid aptamer interactions. Their vesicle-like membranes may form through mineral-assisted mechanisms and contain racemic biopolymers composed of both L- and D-chiral molecules. Reproduction could occur via a blebbing mechanism rather than binary fission. Energy may be derived from geochemical sources such as radiolysis or redox gradients. POLETicians may persist as symbionts within modern microbial ecosystems, potentially interacting with Asgard archaea. Their detection would require novel tools such as chiral mass spectrometry and L- and D-RNA sequencing. This hypothesis reframes the origin of life as an ongoing biological process and suggests that living relics of early evolution may still persist on Earth.