I think there are endless conditions that you've accepted without
question.

I don't think I've made many assumptions here.
If the first replicator was a collection of molecules
rather than a single molecule, one essential molecule of
the collection could be deemed to be the replicator.

You've started with a first replicator - that's
convenient for Darwinian selection - but how and
why does that fit in with the origin.
I think that begins in the middle not the beginning.
What was before the first replicator? What energy
forced any change? Etc.

> Why would RNA want more RNA.

I don't assume anything "wanted" anything.
However, I imagine that conditions for replication of
RNA occurred, and that RNA was replicating, before Life began.

Don't accept in science. I don't. Many want so
desperately to get to darwinian replication that they'll
push RNA into any path that gets it there even if it
defies all chemical laws.


I don't know how likely or unlikely that would be.
I know it's possible, because such conditions occur within
living things.  If the first Life was DNA, or clay crystals,
or something else, the same arguments would apply.

This is a catch 22 - life = replicator = life .

> Why are you starting  the origin at the point of the first replicator 

That happens to be what I'm interested in.  I decided to
refer to it as Life.  If there's some other, more established
terminology I don't mind being told about it.
--
Cathy

My ideas are certainly not established. But the
textbook def. isn't working.

Look at this sentence.

>The irreducible complexity of genetics-first origin scenarios is
>high, requiring joint emergence of catalysis, compartmentation,
>and heritability to make the minimal self-perpetuating structures.
>The concentration dependence of their synthesis also has
>been criticized as geophysically unrealistic (9, 10). Metabolism first
>scenarios are therefore gaining acceptance as both more
>plausible and potentially more predictive of observed forms.
- Smith Morowitz, sante Fe Inst.






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