The myths of pop science often read just that way, like myths:
Trace metals like iron and copper became rare in the oceans between 2 and 1.2 billion years ago, after having been abundant for the previous billion years. This decrease may have caused a crisis for the simple microorganisms of the time, ultimately leading to the evolution of complex cells.
Michael Marshall, “Complex cells may have evolved due to a shortage of trace metals ” at New Scientist
The article is paywalled but in a sense that doesn’t really matter. You could make up your own version.
The basic idea is that complex information events can derive from simple shortages of something or other. It’s the same school of thought that explains human consciousness as having evolved in order to enable our ancestors to co-operate while hunting. As if greater intelligence is needed for that than can be found in a wolf pack. No wonder these fields tend to be marked by a lack of progress.