Figure 7
From: A New Replicator: A theoretical framework for analysing replication
Autocatalytic nucleic acid systems. (a) RNA as a true replicator. (b) proteins (P) appear as side-products of RNA replication, which facultatively catalyze the formation of the new RNA molecule (dashed arrow). (c) The present (simplified) relationship between genes (DNA) and enzymes (E), which are both obligatory for the other to be autocatalytic. x i denotes all input materials while y j and z k denote waste materials.