(coacervate) An aggregate of large complex organic compounds bounded by an organic membrane. It is suggested in certain theories on the * origin of life that such aggregates were the precursors of living organisms. It is thought that the membrane selected molecules that could be added to the aggregate and that gradually the chemical component became more efficient and coordinated. Possibly polymeric molecules resembling RNA and DNA developed and became associated with the protobiont, thus enabling it to store and transfer information, a major step in the development of life. |
