Theoretical origin of life; from a viroid (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, May 06, 2015, 21:16 (3489 days ago) @ David Turell

Nuttier than ever: a viroid did it, but how, since it requires ,living in a living cell?-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suzan-mazur/a-viroidlike-entity-as-fi_b_7197076.html-"Viruses and viroids are able to direct their own replication in the medium -- the cell -- and during the process of replicating they evolve because replication introduces mutations. Those are the two characteristics of life. To be able to replicate and get copies that occasionally are not identical to the original one. In this way viruses and viroids are able to evolve, and in this respect are similar to cells. . . .-"The crucial thing is that at least some viroids are catalytic RNAs, and in the RNA world everything was catalyzed by RNA. . . . That is why there is quite a strong argument for a viroid-like entity having appeared in the early steps of the emergence of life. "-But they still have to live in an living cell.