ABSTRACT
Maynard Smith and Szathmary (1995) remark that 'Astonishingly, the time that was needed to pass from inanimate matter to life is four times shorter than needed for passing form prokaryotes to eukaryotes [this is likely a very conservative estimate] . . . it is hard to argue that they [the steps to form eukaryotes] are more difficult than to establish a genetic code'. They then go on to propose an explanation based on existing competition of prokaryotes. Further, they are also puzzled about the timing of the subsequent emergence of Metazoa, but offer the conventional explanation, the rise of atmospheric oxygen. Let us examine this critical problem of the timing of emergence more closely.
