Setting the Stage: The History,Chemistry, and Geobiology behind RNA
Steven A. Benner, Hyo-Joong Kim and Zunyi Yang
Author Affiliations
Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Gainesville, Florida 32601
Correspondence: sbenner@ffame.org
Abstract
No community-accepted scientific methods are available today to guide studies on what role RNA played in the origin and early evolution of life on Earth. Further, a definition-theory for life is needed to develop hypotheses relating to the “RNA First” model for the origin of life. Four approaches are currently at various stages of development of such a definition-theory to guide these studies. These are (a) paleogenetics, in which inferences about the structure of past life are drawn from the structure of present life; (b) prebiotic chemistry, in which hypotheses with experimental support are sought that get RNA from organic and inorganic species possibly present on early Earth; (c) exploration, hoping to encounter life independent of terran life, which might contain RNA; and (d) synthetic biology, in which laboratories attempt to reproduce biological behavior with unnatural chemical systems.
Copyright © 2012 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.
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NOTA DESTE BLOGGER:
O Mysterium tremendum continua Mysterium tremendum!!! Em que pese décadas de pesquisas, no que diz respeito à origem e evolução da vida, seja de um mundo DNA ou mundo RNA, a ciência está em completa ignorância!
