Summary
An autotrophic origin of metabolism is described, which requires clays, transition state metals, disulfide and dithiols, U.V. and cyanide ion. A general scheme is proposed, involving the fixation of CO2 and N2, for the evolution of intermediary metabolism based on the evolution of a complex system from a simple one. The basic conclusion is that metabolism could have evolved from a simple environment rather than from a complex one.
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Hartman, H. Speculations on the origin and evolution of metabolism. J Mol Evol 4, 359–370 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01732537
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01732537