Steven, I can't help much on the origin of the first cells - and before there were cells, there must have been self-replicating molecules. But I don't follow that stuff at all. Few folks work on that very specialized problem, and I don't know them.
The reason no one works on that "specialized problem", is it's a good way to produce nothing meaningful research-wise, sort of like trying to spin straw into gold. Those with the cell-science background to actually try it know that is Alchemy 2.0. Were talkin' INSTANT Nobel for anyone who can pull it off.
Self-replicating molecules? You mean viruses? But wait, viruses have to have cells to invade and hijack their cellular machinery to reproduce. Who'da thunk it? That "irreducibly complex" argument keeps sticking it's big azz right in your face, don't it?
