How could the first living cell have evolved?

reply to post by rhinoceros


would the cause of the original RNA molecules coming together,,being able to self replicate,, and choosing (?) to self replicate fall under the category of instincts?

or is it just uncontrollable chemical reactions with patterns and thresholds of time/rhythm for reactions which propel and draw momentum for the next reaction...etc.?

Originally posted by ImaFungi
reply to post by rhinoceros

 

would the cause of the original RNA molecules coming together,,being able to self replicate,, and choosing (?) to self replicate fall under the category of instincts?

or is it just uncontrollable chemical reactions with patterns and thresholds of time/rhythm for reactions which propel and draw momentum for the next reaction...etc.?

It's simply a favorable change in free energy, i.e. a chemical reaction that "wants" to happen given the right environment.

Originally posted by ImaFungi
reply to post by rhinoceros

 

would the cause of the original RNA molecules coming together,,being able to self replicate,, and choosing (?) to self replicate fall under the category of instincts?

or is it just uncontrollable chemical reactions with patterns and thresholds of time/rhythm for reactions which propel and draw momentum for the next reaction...etc.?

I think the first pile of molecules that underwent self replicating chemical reactions did so accidentally. If you put a bunch of organic molecules together with some energy to serve as a reaction catalyst, and give those molecules/reactions several million years of doing stuff, they could eventually just stumble upon a chemical reaction that is self replicating.

No initial life required; no instinct required.

Originally posted by OccamsRazor04

Originally posted by Semicollegiate
The definition of life is a long list of qualities and abilities that include
reaction to the environment
growth
reproduction

Probably the first thing that was alive had its "food" come to it, so it only needed to reproduce and grow. The "Food" was actually the chemicals that are found in blood or sap, and those chemicals were floating around in the water next to the first living thing. Most of the chemicals found inside of cells were in the environment also, like enzymes and sugars

edit on 13-7-2012 by Semicollegiate because: (no reason given)

Here we have a problem, sugars, like amino acids, come in two forms. Life can ONLY use a form that is completely one form or another, in the case of Earth life ONLY pure right handed sugars can be used. Random chance will always create a sugar with a mixture of both left and right hands in equal quantities. It is a mathematic impossibility for this to occur.

An enzyme only works with the appropriate ligand or substrate so the off hand chirality would be "ignored".

Any inappropriate ligand or substrate would usually be toxic, although a possibility for mutation exsists in this situation.

reply to post by Lazarus Short


I have a hard time understanding how humans making a heptadic code is impossible?