False-vacuum Decay and Flaws in Frampton’s Model of the Origin of Life

We briefly review false-vacuum decay and examine a recent proposal by Frampton to model the origin of the first single-celled organism (SCO) as a phase transition between no-life and life vacua. In his calculation, the exponent \(n\) entering the probability \(P_{\mathrm {SCO}}\sim 10^{-n}\) has dimensions of inverse time: it is an energy barrier divided by the Planck constant, rather than a dimensionless tunnelling action. The resulting probability is mathematically ill-defined and does not determine a tunnelling rate. Apart from this dimensional issue, the assumed initial configuration, a toroidal structure made of long molecules, and its treatment in empty space are inconsistent with soft-matter physics and with the hot, collisional environment expected for prebiotic chemistry. Consequently, the claimed exponential suppression of biogenesis, and the inference that extraterrestrial life is likely absent, are not supported. Abstract Published by the Jagiellonian University 2026 authors