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Proposer: Numerous scientists, part of a broader scientific inquiry rather than a single proposer; Basic tenets: The first organisms were autotrophic, using carbon dioxide as a carbon source and generating their own food; Current status: Considered as part of the broader understanding of metabolism origins but not a standalone theory.

Proposer: Arrhenius; Basic tenets: Life or its precursors came to Earth from space, either as microbial life or complex organic molecules on comets, asteroids, or meteorites; Current status: Considered a possibility, but lacking direct evidence; does not address how life originated, only how it could have spread.

Proposer: Walter Gilbert; Basic tenets: Early life forms were based on RNA, which was capable of storing genetic information and catalyzing chemical reactions; Current status: Widely accepted among scientists, though direct evidence from the early Earth is lacking.

Proposer: Michael Russell and Allen Hall; Basic tenets: Life began at deep-sea hydrothermal vents where mineral-laden waters provided the necessary energy and substrates for the synthesis of organic compounds; Current status: Gaining support as a viable environment for the origin of life due to discovery of extremophiles in these regions.

Proposer: Günter Wächtershäuser; Basic tenets: Life began on the surface of iron and nickel sulfides near hydrothermal vents; these surfaces catalyzed the formation of more complex organic molecules; Current status: Considered plausible for the formation of life's building blocks but still under debate.

Proposer: Alexander Oparin, J.B.S. Haldane; Basic tenets: Life began in a 'soup' of organic molecules in early Earth's oceans, which were energized by sunlight, lightning, and volcanic eruptions; Current status: Largely accepted as a conceivable early step in the origin of life but not sufficient alone to explain life's complexity.

Proposer: Doron Lancet; Basic tenets: Early life may have been based on lipid-like molecules that formed spontaneously and were capable of self-replication and evolution; Current status: An interesting theory, but not as widely accepted or studied as the RNA World Hypothesis.