Early-Earth cells modeled to show how first life forms might have packaged RNA
Monday, October 15, 2012 - 08:31
in Physics & Chemistry
A chemical model that mimics a possible step in the formation of cellular life on Earth four-billion years ago has been developed. Chemists created primitive cell-like structures that they infused with RNA -- the genetic coding material that is thought to precede the appearance of DNA on Earth -- and demonstrated how the molecules would react chemically under conditions that might have been present on the early Earth.