The energy available to each copy of the gene remains about the same. Nothing is gained. Bacteria work just fine at a small size, but there’s an energy barrier that prevents them from getting bigger. If we ever discover extraterrestrial life, and find that it’s powered by a straightforward membrane potential, then the chances seem good that the life will consist of small, simple forms: those cells won’t be able to evolve the complexity that permit animals and, eventually, intelligence.
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