Chance Emergence of Catalytic Activity and Promiscuity in a Self-Replicator

22 October 2019, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

This study reveal a mechanism by which self-replicating molecules can autonomously acquire the ability to catalyze further reaction, in addition to their own formation. It represents a first demonstration outside biology of replicators that have the ability to catalyze reactions that produce the molecules they need to replicate from. This equates to a protometabolism.

Keywords

Origin of life
systems chemistry
Protometabolism
Self-replication
Dynamic combinatorial chemistry

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