Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have found new evidence for the RNA world hypothesis. Mentioned in this magazine article e-Life.
The RNA world hypothesis is that the first replicators on Earth were RNA molecules that could initiate their own reproduction without the aid of protein enzymes. But it was not clear for a long time how such a molecule emerged from precursors that were unable to exhibit catalytic activity.
Scientists have discovered that ribozyme, which helps break down other molecules, can arise spontaneously because only a few classical bases are needed for it to work. But even here the problem remained of how exactly this feature was preserved during biochemical evolution.
To understand this, scientists developed a model that simulates random breaks in simple RNA molecules without enzymatic activity. During the experiment, short RNA chains appeared that served as primers for the synthesis of longer RNA chains. Therefore, many copies of the destroyed polymer emerged. Scientists likened this phenomenon to the regeneration of dismembered worms.
Previous scientists I learnedthat social status influences gene activity and is transmitted from mother to children.