First cells may have emerged because building blocks of proteins stabilized memb

https://phys.org/news/2019-08-cells-emerged-blocks-proteins-stabilized.html

"These cells faced a chemical conundrum. They needed particular ions from the soup in order to perform basic functions. But those charged ions would have disrupted the simple membranes that encapsulated the cells . . . Using cell-sized, fluid-filled compartments surrounded by membranes made of fatty acid molecules, the team discovered that amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, can stabilize membranes against magnesium ions."