  This paper seeks to expand the scope of the alkaline seepage site
hydrothermal mound scenario of Russell et al, by appealing to its wider canvas
for hypothesizing self-assembly of gregite clusters via interplay of forces
within the gel phase of FeS membranes: directed heat transport a la
Rayleigh-Benard convection for dissociation, vs oriented attachment (small
clusters) and magnetic forces (large clusters) for association, the latter
assisted by magnetic mound constituents. The directed movement of tiny clusters
through cluster layers are reminiscent of processes like budding, molecular
motors, pre-RNA world on the lines of Cairns-Smith's hypothesis, and optical
polarity. Higher rate of (soft) multinucleate formation vs growth rate of
(rigid) microcrystals, correlates with icosahedral (forbidden
crystallographically!) framboidal morphology. This pattern indicates a link to
phylotaxis, thus reinforcing the quasi-periodicity connection which can provide
a natural access to features like surface limit, anomalous transport and low
thermal conductivity, while facilitating diffusion through clusters. And
magnetism offers a hierarchy of features: primordial multicellularity; phase
correlations of assembled molecules; overcoming thermal decoherence. These
dynamical nested structures offer possibilities for iterative computations,
adaptive learning, and coherent quantum searches. The link between enzymatic
FeS clusters and the Hadean ocean floor is seen as part of a larger conceptual
framework uncovering a role for Magnetism and the Origin of Life.
