Primitive selection of the fittest emerging through functional synergy in nucleopeptide networks

Significance Research on the chemical origin of life comprises one of the most exciting topics in contemporary science. Prebiotic chemistry provided evidence that precursors of both nucleic acids and proteins might be formed in the prebiotic environment. Yet, studies on nonenzymatic replication—a central mechanism driving chemical evolution—focused largely on each class of these molecules separately. This paper reveals a successful attempt to...