Traditional models of abiogenesis often suffer from "biological optimism," assuming a cooperative and idyllic environment for the emergence of the first vesicles. This paper proposes a radically different framework: The Prebiotic Battlefield. Drawing on the Szostak model of membrane competition, we define early self-organization as a process driven by thermodynamic aggression and "vesicular cannibalism." We argue that biochemical complexity did not emerge by chance, but as a byproduct of intense selection for mechanical resilience, osmotic dominance, and the ability to dissipate energy through the incorporation of inorganic nanoparticles.
Peter Mikuláš (Sun,) studied this question.