ARTICLE 5. MEMORY THEORY: TRIANGLE OF LIFE — MEMORY, ENZYMES AND ENERGY

Abstract

Previous papers in the series described the fundamental mechanisms of physical memory recording and storage, as well as their role in abiogenesis and enzyme evolution. However, the question of the role of energy in this system remained open. Existing theories of the origin of energy metabolism (the hydrothermal hypothesis, the chemoautotrophic hypothesis, the UV energy hypothesis) face fundamental difficulties because they consider energy as an external factor rather than an internal component of the system. This article proposes the hypothesis of the trinity of life, according to which memory, enzymes and energy form a single inseparable system, where no component is primary. It has been shown that ordered water (S- and γ-tetraphases) creates energy reliefs (tetrasignatures) not only for recording, but also for concentrating and directing energy flows. Enzymes arise as carbosignatures that fix catalytic conformations capable of trapping and converting energy; In turn, the energy directed by enzymes supports and complicates memory. Particular attention is paid to the transition of energy to a carbon basis: from one-time, dispersed and passive forms of energy capture to its storage (ATP), direction, active mechanisms (photosynthesis, respiration) and regulatory role. This transition was the driving force behind evolution, making possible the emergence of complex organisms, nervous systems, and consciousness. Experimental criteria for testing the hypothesis are proposed. The work completes the logical outline of memory theory, showing that life is a self-sustaining system based on a triune principle: state fixation (memory), catalysis (enzymes), and the capture, storage, and direction of energy (energy metabolism).