The simplest molecule (dimer, actually) that has self-replication and evolution has a complexity of about 170 nucleic acid bases [0] It is entirely probable, i

The simplest molecule (dimer, actually) that has self-replication and evolution has a complexity of about 170 nucleic acid bases [0] It is entirely probable, in my opinion, that this is how life originated on Earth in a shallow pool or volcanic vent - essentially primordial PCR machines. [0] https://www.pnas.org/content/99/20/12733.short https://www.pnas.org/content/99/20/12733.short