Life on Earth is essentially pumping electric charges to create a potential and then discharging it to drive its processes. The outside of the cell is charged p

Life on Earth is essentially pumping electric charges to create a potential and then discharging it to drive its processes. The outside of the cell is charged positively with hydrogen ions, the inside is negative. The membrane is an insulator. The chemistry of the vents on early Earth where life emerged acted like a battery and had an electric gradient on which the life fed. A membrane has competitive advantages like storing more charge for immediate disposal than what is naturally available, ability to charge to a higher potential difference than what is naturally available and drive processes that would not be possible without it, and crucially an ability to survive outside of the vent.