Protobiont
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A protobiont is an aggregate of abiotically produced organic molecules, that has been demonstrated to be formed by self assembly. They do not reproduce, and are unlikely to be able to maintain homeostasis but are able to maintain an internal chemical environment that differs from its external environment. It has been suggested that they are a key step in the origin of life on earth. Experiments by Sidney W. Fox and Aleeksandr Oparin have demonstrate that they may be formed spontaneously, in conditions much like what the early Earth is thought to have been like. These experiments formed liposomes and microspheres, which have membrane structure similar to the phospholipid bilayer found in cells.
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