The production of simple organic molecules facilitated the spontaneous formation of membranes (and hence the organisation of protocells)

• In water, non-polar fatty acids will arrange to form micelles as the hydrophobic tails coalesce to avoid contact with the polar solution

• When polar organic monomers are produced, they will attract the hydrophilic glycerol heads of the fatty acids and a spherical bilayer will form

This formation of membrane-bound containers creates a hydrophobic barrier that allows the internal chemistry of the vesicle to differ from the exterior

• This ordered aggregation of non-living components (protocell) would eventually lead to the development of the first cells

Membrane Packaging