Protocell life cycle
The protocell includes two or more RNA replicases which are able to make copies of each other. Concurrent with RNA replication, the vesicle membrane grows through the addition of fatty acids from micelle collisions. This causes the surface area of the protocell to increase while the volume remains constant, resulting in the elongation and increased instability of the protocell membrane. The membrane eventually divides, forming two daughter protocells, with the RNA replicases randomly divided between them.
