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pop-em beads. When the pretzel let the finished product go again, it
had unwittingly made a mirror image of itself.
The replica had the same property as its pretzel-like parent.
Molecules of sludge were attracted to its surface. Each segment of
surface would pull toward it a very specific atomic shape. So the
replica's exterior acted like a paint-by-numbers canvas, drawing
precisely the correct component to exactly the right spot. Once all the
new molecules were lined up in order, they'd snap together. The
result: yet another spanking new copy, ready to unpeel from its parent
and drift away. The fresh-born copy, in its turn, would attract other
wandering molecules to its face, where they would line up, pop
together, then uncouple to be carried off by the currents of the
sludge-filled early seas.
The molecules with the peculiar ability to make copies of
themselves are called replicators.45 And replicators, like the
innovations that had preceded them, would move the universe one
more step up the ladder of complexity.
For eons, replicators would drift through the chemical soup of
the early earth, casually copying themselves. But eventually, the
population of molecular xerox machines would grow overwhelming,
and the supplies of untouched organic sludge would begin to run
short. That's when the replicator that could do more than merely
reproduce itself would have an edge.
The replicators that could do more, says Dawkins, were those
that "learned" to make copies from more than just raw sludge. They
could take apart their competitors and reassemble the components for
their own purposes. Other replicators arose who could defend
themselves. The first defense was probably a simple chemical armored
shell--like those that protect some bacteria. But over time, the armored
suits became more intricate, developing muscular whips to provide
speed, movable fins for steering, and someday way, way down the
road, hands, feet and brains. The descendants of the early replicators
cidentally--snapped the molecules it was embracing together like
<< < GO > >>
22
22
22
ac
pop-em beads. When the pretzel let the finished product go again, it
had unwittingly made a mirror image of itself.
The replica had the same property as its pretzel-like parent.
Molecules of sludge were attracted to its surface. Each segment of
surface would pull toward it a very specific atomic shape. So the
replica's exterior acted like a paint-by-numbers canvas, drawing
precisely the correct component to exactly the right spot. Once all the
new molecules were lined up in order, they'd snap together. The
result: yet another spanking new copy, ready to unpeel from its parent
and drift away. The fresh-born copy, in its turn, would attract other
wandering molecules to its face, where they would line up, pop
together, then uncouple to be carried off by the currents of the
sludge-filled early seas.
The molecules with the peculiar ability to make copies of
themselves are called replicators.45 And replicators, like the
innovations that had preceded them, would move the universe one
more step up the ladder of complexity.
For eons, replicators would drift through the chemical soup of
the early earth, casually copying themselves. But eventually, the
population of molecular xerox machines would grow overwhelming,
and the supplies of untouched organic sludge would begin to run
short. That's when the replicator that could do more than merely
reproduce itself would have an edge.
The replicators that could do more, says Dawkins, were those
that "learned" to make copies from more than just raw sludge. They
could take apart their competitors and reassemble the components for
their own purposes. Other replicators arose who could defend
themselves. The first defense was probably a simple chemical armored
shell--like those that protect some bacteria. But over time, the armored
suits became more intricate, developing muscular whips to provide
speed, movable fins for steering, and someday way, way down the
road, hands, feet and brains. The descendants of the early replicators
cidentally--snapped the molecules it was embracing together like
<< < GO > >>