Origin of Life: RNA world (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, December 24, 2013, 17:56 (3988 days ago) @ David Turell

Another approach to RNA world start, using a molecule that probably didn't exist on inorganic Earth. Another ID approach that goes nowhere, except to show that intelligence is needed. The following is a pipedream:- "In the study, Hud's team investigated bases that are chemically related to the bases of modern RNA, but that might be able to spontaneously bond with ribose and assemble with other bases through the same interactions that enable DNA and RNA to store information. They homed in on a molecule called triaminopyrimidine (TAP).-"The researchers mixed TAP with ribose under conditions meant to mimic a drying pond on early Earth. TAP and ribose reacted together in high yield, with up to 80 percent of TAP being converted into nucleosides, which is the name for the ribose-base unit of RNA. Previous attempts to form a ribose-base bond with the current RNA bases in similar reactions had either failed or produced nucleosides in very low yields.
 
"This study is important in showing a feasible step for how we get the start of an RNA-like molecule, but also how the building blocks of the first RNA-like polymers could have found each other and self-assembled in what would have been a very complex mixture of chemicals," Hud said."-
 Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-12-scientists-closer-rna.html#jCp