In life's origin, what came first, the metabolism or the information storage?

Beeftopia writes: All living cells power themselves by coaxing protons from one side of a membrane to the other. A place where this occurs naturally outside of cells are alkaline hydrothermal vents on the deep seafloor, inside highly porous rock formations that are almost like mineralized sponges. "Carbon and energy metabolism are driven by proton gradients, exactly what the vents provided for free," wrote biochemist Nick Lane.

In Lane's view, metabolism came first, and genetic information emerged naturally from it rather than the other way around. Lane believes that the implications of this reversal touch almost every big mystery in biology, including the nature of cancer and aging.

The reversal of the Krebs cycle in some cancers came as a shock because it was thought to only ever run in one direction, forward, to generate energy. In aging this reversal may play a part as well. Gaining control over this factor may lead to improved outcomes in both cancer and aging.