A new model suggests early protocells divided due to internal heat from chemical reactions, causing membrane imbalance and spontaneous splitting.  A simple mechanism could underlie the growth and self-replication of protocells—putative ancestors of modern living cells—suggests a study publishing today (September 3, 2021) in Biophysical Journal. Protocells are vesicles bounded by a membrane bilayer and … Continue reading Origin of Life: The First Cells Might Have Used Temperature To Divide