News
Membrane or metabolism, which came first?
26 Jun 2025
LMU researchers have demonstrated a possible mechanism for metabolic processes without cell membranes in water-filled pores.
Looking at life today, it is difficult to imagine how complex biological processes and structures could have developed from simple building blocks. All cellular processes and reactions appear to be closely interdependent and necessarily occur within a cell membrane. There is no known organism that deviates from this pattern. But how did it come about?
How does a cell membrane form without metabolism? Or conversely, how does metabolism arise without a cell membrane? This classic chicken-and-egg problem is addressed in a recent study published in Nature Physics by researchers from LMU professor Dieter Braun’s team.