Protobionts and their lifelike functions

Ancestral cell-like structures like these could have given rise to living cells. (a) This micrograph shows coacervates made by Oparin from a mixture of gelatine (composed primarily of protein) and gum arabic (composed of protein and carbohydrate). (b) The illustration shows simple metabolism that can be performed by coacervates. (c) Micrograph and illustration of microspheres, which are water-filled spheres of macromolecules, such as protein. (d) An electron micrograph and illustration of liposomes. Each liposome is made of a phospholipid bilayer surrounding an aqueous compartment.