the replicators

DNA Polymerase

the replicators - The second chapter provides us a look into the beginnings of life on early earth using Darwin's basic theory of natural selection. Dawkins begins by explaining that the term "survival of the fittest" can be see a special case of what he calls "survival of the stable." Everywhere in the universe we find stable configurations of atoms, and on earth we usually give them specific names such as with rocks, ocean waves, and soap bubbles. What we know of early earth is that it was full of many basic elements and molecules that, when placed under certain circumstances, will form new stable forms, even if only for a moment in time, they will be stable nonetheless at that specific point. We have seen in a number of laboratory re-creations of these early earth condition can produce organic molecules such as urea, amino acids (the building-blocks of proteins), and even the basic nucleotides that make up DNA. In our ancient oceans would have become filled with these molecules and over time "at some point a particularly remarkable molecule was formed by accident. We will call it the Replicator." This molecule had the ability of make copies of itself. It may seem extremely unlikely for such an occurrence to happen, but given the span of hundreds of millions of years within this "primeval soup," it becomes increasingly more likely to have happened. And it only needed to happen once. Dawkins explains that it could actually be very possible for a molecule like this two form and gives two possible reasons: One, that explains a molecule's affinity for other similar molecules could build on itself, possibly breaking into smaller pieces of itself and thus leaving numerous copies. The other, that the molecule has an affinity of one particular other kind such that the original now acts as a template.
As with most forms of copying, there will always be a fraction of error involved over time. This error would eventually, over millions of years, make minor improvements that would naturally spread throughout the population and thus we have the basis of evolution. Early earth's oceans would have been covered with a large variety of these replicators, but because there wouldn't be endless availability of the basic building materials, competition would ensue. The favored varieties that would persist might be good at taking up available materials quickly as well as becoming good at defending themselves with protective layers of proteins. Possibly developing early prototypes of the cell.