dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi [Dept. of Confusing Services]) (11/17/84)
Self reproduction is no big deal. All that is required is that a thing, when placed into the appropriate environment, causes the formation of more things like itself. The "thing" that reproduces itself may be a group of molecules (like a virus, an amoeba, or a human) or a single molecule. For example, in a hypothetical primordial soup of amino acids, if a protein molecule catalyses the formation of more protein molecules similar to itself (not necessarily identical, just as long as the "children" "inherit" the catalytic powers of the "parent"), then that molecule is self-reproducing. The simplest self-reproducing molecule I know of is... water! A mixture of pure molecular hydrogen with pure molecular oxygen is harder to ignite than the same mixture with a bit of water vapor added. Water molecules catalyse their own formation in an environment containing hydrogen and oxygen molecules, therefore, they are self-reproducing. David Canzi "Apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the show?"