Part 5/8:
The genesis of these interdependent components presents a formidable question: which element emerged first? This dilemma is a focal point in origin-of-life research, with two primary camps existing in literary discourse. The replication-first group argues that genetic information is indispensable for categorizing a system as life, positing it must have developed alongside an energy source. Conversely, the metabolism-first camp asserts that replication is meaningless without an active energy flow capable of transformation and movement.