title: Biochemical Refinement Before Genetics: Chance Utility.
abstract: Given two primordial conditions that seem likely to be common, near-ideal reactions for evolutionary progress are realized. These requisites are sporadic availability of pooled reactants and evolutionarily useful products within a pool's repertoire. These intrinsically optimizing circumstances function without genetics, and therefore can help evolve a first genetic system. This process is termed chance utility.
authors: Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309-0347, USA. yarus@stripe.colorado.edu.
authors: Michael
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0295-9795
authors: M
authors: Yarus
mesh_terms: D001669:Biochemical Phenomena; D019020:Directed Molecular Evolution / Q000379:methods*; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009154:Mutation; D000069497:Origin of Life; D012641:Selection, Genetic
keywords: Evolution; Near-ideal; RNA; Random; Selection