Editing Self-replication (section)

===Origin of life===

Self-replication is a fundamental feature of life.  It was proposed that self-replication emerged in the evolution of life when a molecule similar to a double-stranded [[polynucleotide]] (possibly like [[RNA]]) dissociated into single-stranded polynucleotides and each of these acted as a template for synthesis of a complementary strand producing two double stranded copies.<ref name = Quastler1964>HenryQuastler (1964) Emergence of Biological Organization, Yale University Press, New Haven Connecticut ASIN: B0000CMHJ2</ref>  In a system such as this, individual duplex replicators with different nucleotide sequences could compete with each other for available mononucleotide resources, thus initiating natural selection for the most “fit” sequences.<ref name = Quastler1964/>   Replication of these early forms of life was likely highly inaccurate producing mutations that influenced the folding state of the polynucleotides, thus affecting the propensities for strand association (promoting stability) and disassociation (allowing genome replication).  The evolution of order in living systems has been proposed to be an example of a fundamental order generating principle that also applies to physical systems.<ref>Bernstein, Harris; Byerly, Henry C.; Hopf, Frederick A.; et al. (June 1983). "The Darwinian Dynamic". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 58 (2): 185–207. doi:10.1086/413216. JSTOR 2828805. S2CID 83956410</ref>