Modern-day metabolism could have originated in 4-billion-year-old oceans

(Phys.org)—A gigantic number of chemical reactions take place inside our bodies every second, all synchronizing with each other to produce the energy and chemical compounds that we need to survive. Together these reactions make up our metabolism, which is one of the defining features of life. However, scientists continue to debate the origins of metabolism: Did this complex arrangement of reactions evolve over time in living things due to survival advantages, or was it acquired, in a basic