Abstract
The main conclusion from abiotic syntheses is that modern organisms prefer molecular units that are easy to make. This could be the result of selection pressures during very early evolution rather than a reflection of the large scale molecular environment within which life first arose. As previously discussed (Cairns-Smith, 1971) there seems to be no good reason to limit our thinking on initial hereditary systems to those with chemical similarity to modern forms.
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Cairns-Smith, A.G. Ambiguity in the interpretation of abiotic syntheses. Origins Life Evol Biosphere 6, 265–267 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01372414
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01372414