The physical linkage of the first self-replicating molecules is likely to have been selected based on their capacity to perform cooperative catalysis.
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Xavier, J.C. The early origin of cooperation. Nat Ecol Evol 4, 18–19 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1075-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1075-z