Part 6/9:
This scenario links Earth's geology directly to biochemistry, suggesting an unbroken continuum from inorganic mineral structures to living cells. The bioenergetic systems seen in mitochondria might have roots in geochemical processes occurring around hydrothermal vents. The acquisition of membrane potential and electrochemical energy production may have been pivotal in permitting early life forms to grow larger, develop complexity, and eventually evolve into multicellular organisms like us.