Scientists have yet to determine the origin of life, but our discussion has made clear that the question is a three-parter. How did the genetic component of life—the capacity to store, utilize, and replicate information—come to be? How did the metabolic component of life—the capacity to extract, store, and utilize chemical energy—come to be? How did the packaging of genetic and metabolic molecular machinery into self-contained sacks—cells—come to be? The story of life’s origin requires definitive answers to these questions, but even without a complete understanding we can turn to an
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