Imagine the seas a thick soup of iron complexes and RNA folded into quadrillions of nightmare shapes, a vanishing few of them busy replicating whatever they bumped into. One day, two of them bumped into one another. In the blink of a geologic eye, the seas were brimming with a descendant of whichever of them was faster.
Somewhere, a membrane happened. I don't think anywhere in nature today do we find a membrane created entirely from scratch. Everywhere we find a membrane, it grew from and split off of an existing membrane. It may be that we should think of ourselves as fancy membranes, and DNA, RNA, and protein are just clever ways to make more membrane.
Somewhere, a membrane happened. I don't think anywhere in nature today do we find a membrane created entirely from scratch. Everywhere we find a membrane, it grew from and split off of an existing membrane. It may be that we should think of ourselves as fancy membranes, and DNA, RNA, and protein are just clever ways to make more membrane.