Question

Which one of the following is incorrect about the characteristic of protobionts (coacervates and microspheres) as envisaged in the abiogenic origin of life?

• A. They were able to reproduce
• B. They could separate combinations of molecules from the surroundings
• C. They were partially isolated from the surroundings
• D. They could maintain an internal environment

Answer 1

The correct option is B They could separate combinations of molecules from the surroundings

A protobiont is an aggregate of abiotically produced organic molecules surrounded by a membrane or a membrane-like structure. Protobionts exhibit some of the properties associated with life, including simple reproduction, metabolism and excitability, as well as the maintenance of an internal chemical environment different from that of their surroundings. It has been suggested that they are a key step in the origin of life on earth. Experiments by Sidney W. Fox and Aleksandr Oparin have demonstrated that they may be formed spontaneously, in conditions similar to the environment thought to exist on an early Earth.
Protobionts are excitable, metabolically active, inaccurately reproducing protein clusters. These clusters form when their protein parts are mixed with cold water: they self-assemble into microspheres. Protobionts also can release voltage like a neuron because some protobionts store energy through a similar method of membrane potential as organelles. If coated with a semipermeable membrane, a protobiont will swell and contract osmotically when in solutions of differing salt concentrations. The protobiont shares its weak catabolic capabilities with the liposome. They were partially isolated from environment, but, they could not separate combinations of molecules from the surroundings. Other statements are correct and only option B is incorrect. Thus, the answer is option B.