1. Examples of autocatalytic sets

Little is known about the first autocatalytic sets on earth. Neither are there many results of research indicating the chemical conditions and ingredients that potentially could yield autocatalytic sets in an aqueous solution. Kauffmans group and others perform pioneering work in this direction. Yet, there is still a long way to go before a handbook can be written presenting an overview of the basic autocatalytic sets and separate phylogenies they have produced. Of course there exist the present autocatalytic sets in organisms. These will be discussed below, when classifying organisms according to their descendance, or phylogeny.

2. Links to interesting sites with information about autocatalytic sets

http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HYPERC.HTML (explanation in Principia Cybernetica of the hypercycle as mathematically expressed by Eigen and Schuster).

http://matisse.ucsd.edu/itp-bioinfo/doron2.pdf (a theory based on autocatalysis that assumes that aggregates of autocatalytic molecules slowly evolved into aggregates with a membrane)

http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/context/406/0 (review of articles about autocatalysis)

http://www.jmcgowan.com/abscicon.html (a jigsaw model of evolution of the cell including autocatalysis)