Review
Intractable Mixtures and the Origin of Life†
Alan W. Schwartz,
Alan W. Schwartz
Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Search for more papers by this authorAlan W. Schwartz,
Alan W. Schwartz
Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Search for more papers by this author†
Based in part on a lecture presented at the ‘14th International Conference on the Origin of Life’, Beijing, June 19–24, 2005.
Abstract
Attempts to model the spontaneous chemistry which presumably preceded the origin of life on Earth commonly result in the production of intractably complex mixtures of organic compounds. It is, therefore, difficult to understand how any kind of evolutionary process might have begun. A number of potential solutions to this well-known and frustrating problem have been offered in the literature over the years. The present contribution briefly reviews and evaluates some of the more promising possibilities.
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