Complex molecules such as the one pictured here came together to
form coacervates Click on image for full size In the warm
primordial ocean, aggregates of amino acids, proteins, and other
hydrocarbons came together into a form called *coacervates* .
Amino acids will spontaneously form coacervates in the same way
that beads of vinegar in oil come together. The Miller-Urey
experiment showed that amino acids form under conditions similar
to the Earth's primordial environment These beads, or
coacervates are perhaps the simplest of systems that, without a
membrane, can be said to be bound together; that is they have a
distinct inside and outside. The primordial ocean provided an
ideal medium for their formation, for the primordial ocean was
large, and water can hold the coacervates suspended for a long
period of time without being disturbed. It is not known whether
these coacervates were life-like or not. Recall that life must
be able to feed and reproduce itself. The earliest life was
probably much like coacervat