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From: rafferty@cmu-cs-edu1.ARPA (Colin Rafferty)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: Predation, Sort Of
Message-ID: <252@cmu-cs-edu1.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 30-Apr-85 20:14:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-e.252
Posted: Tue Apr 30 20:14:37 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 2-May-85 06:34:19 EDT
References: <981@uwmacc.UUCP>, <511@cybvax0.UUCP>
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 30

> > > [Mike Huybensz]
> > > The hypothetical first life forms that arose spontaneously could
> > > be extremely simple because they could survive in an environment without
> > > oxygen, without predation.
> > 
> > What makes you think there was no predation then?  (I'm not saying
> > that I don't believe it, I'm just wondering why you say this.)
>
> What would have preyed on the first life forms?  In my sentence above, I'm
> referring to decomposing organisms such as bacteria and fungi as potential
> predators (or competitors) that would eliminate any remaining examples of
> early life forms.

What about non-organic predators?  Why do all predators have to be alive?
The first examples of pre-life were groups of proteins (or amino acids,
excuse me if I got that wrong) that were able to stay together in a
reasonable fashion.  

There were things such as rough seas and non-organic substances that could
"prey" on them.  A modern example of that would be a person dying because of
exposure.  There is no life form killing him, just nature herself.

----

            Colin Rafferty { Math Department, Carnegie-Mellon Unversity }

"According to convention there is a sweet and a bitter, a hot and a cold,
and according to convention, there is an order.  In truth, there are atoms
and a void."
                -Democritus(400 B.C.)