I did, I just am having a hard time following it after the bit about growing chains breaking up and forming new chains.
Let me consult a dictionary and get back to you.
Ok so... I'm hazy on thermodynamics, but if its an expression of energy does this mean it has to do with the attraction of atoms with unfilled electron shells to other atoms? I guess if it's that sort of chain reaction thing where the molecules will line up that way just because they're in the vicinity of each other, then it would be a constant occurrence as long as you have the right molecules.
The video doesn't explicitly say WHY they start replicating, which isn't too helpful for people with no science background, but I think I'm starting to work it out.
Okay, crash course in thermodynamics because I don't think working backwards from the current situation will work. I don't like to have to explain my explanations.
Thermodynamics is the study of energy, specifically heat, but it applies to other forms too. There are three laws within it. The first states that energy cannot be created or destroy, only changed. The second states that entropy of a closed system always increases. The third defines absolute zero.
Now, entropy (S) is often described as a measure of chaos. I don't personally like this definition because it is befuddling. Entropy is actually a form of waste. Entropy is energy that was used by a system, but cannot be harnessed by the system again. As a result of this perpetual motion machines are impossible. These laws provide the basis for the entirety of the field in the same manner that Newton's laws provide the basis for all of classical mechanics.
Another key concept I need to address is enthalpy (H). Enthalpy is what is used to measure the total energy of a given system. ∆H (delta H or change in H) is what we really care about and it tells us if a reaction is exothermic or endothermic. An exothermic reaction is one which releases heat and an endothermic reaction is one which takes heat from the environment.
Since we're discussing heat, I should probably also say what temperature (T) actually is. Molecules are always in motion, a model of which can be seen
here. The higher the temperature, the more they move and the lower the temperature, the less they move. As a result, absolute zero is when there is no molecular motion, but this is a physical impossibility. Even so, absolute zero is a vital mathematical part of thermodynamics and essential for actually doing the equations.
Moving on, we get into some of the actual chemistry. Chemical reactions that are thermodynamically favored are reactions which are the most stable at a given energy level. The more energy (ie heat) there is in a system, the more unstable the configuration allowed. This is represented mathematically using Gibbs free energy (G), which measures the ability for non-mechanical work (very important in chemistry). This is able to tell us what reactions will occur because it helps us keep track of the energy involved. Specifically, we care about ∆G which is defined as ∆G=∆H-T∆S. As a result a change in enthalpy, temperature, or entropy will change the ∆G of a given reaction.
∆G is what tells us if a reaction is favored or not. A reaction is thermodynamically favored if ∆G is negative, it is unfavored if ∆G is negative, and it is at equilibrium if ∆G is 0. In this sense, favored means that the reaction is statistically likely to occur. For most purposes this means the reaction will happen. It is actually possible for a given molecule to react when ∆G is positive, but it will quickly react back to its original configuration. So, for the hypothetical reaction A → B we'll have something like one A molecule convert to one B molecule for every three B molecules that convert into A molecules (1:3 ration). At equilibrium it's a 1:1 ratio. If this reaction were favored we may see a 3:1 ratio.
This is where we hit upon something directly applicable for the video. There was a part about the cyclic motion of the protocells from a hot to a cold environment and back. The differing levels of heat give us a different ∆G for reactions and different reactions are favored. This is why under high temperatures the two polymer strands break apart from each other, but under lower temperatures a sister strand will polymerize. By itself, there is no self-replication, but due to the flow of current and the alternation of heat and cold there's a self-replicating polymer. Moving towards biology for the moment, any change which enhances the ability of this cycle will be evolutionarily favored.
We're not actually looking at the electron shells here, they are very important in chemistry, but they merely give us the possible reactions without telling us the probable reactions. Thermodynamics is what tells which of these possibilities will occur.