Molecular Self‐Organization and the Origin of Life

The sequence of many small physically and chemically plausible steps that lead to self‐organization of matter are considered. These are governed by periodic temperature changes and a multi‐faceted spatial environment, both of which occurred in suitable locations on the primordial planet. The specific model described reveals the logical framework of this process, the nature and locations of fundamental difficulties as well as the means by which they might be overcome. The barriers that must be surmounted are mostly related to an accumulation of copying errors. An early stagnation barrier was hurdled by aggregate formation, by means of which erroneous copies are rejected; a further barrier was overcome by the evolution of machinery capable of synthesizing “cellular” envelopes which confine the building components. A system evolved which produced a primitive “replicase” that stabilized a rudimentary genetic code. A later stagnation phase ended when the functional system was reorganized by the evolution of separate machinery for replication and for translation of genetic information. — The purpose of this account is to stimulate experiments and theoretical efforts towards the improvement, refinement, and expansion of the model described. It also demonstrates the fruitfulness of the present style of approach that leads to assertions about the prerequisites, logical framework, and organizational structure of evolutionary processes.