RNA-DNA Chimeras Might Have Supported the Origin of Life on Earth

A new study finds mixtures of nucleotide types, rather than pure systems, are more likely to yield the building blocks of life.

Written byJef Akst
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Molecules that combine elements of RNA and DNA, so-called chimeric molecules, may have been an important step in the emergence of life on Earth from the primordial soup that existed billions of years ago, according to a study published yesterday (September 16) in Nature Chemistry.

The work, reported by Scripps Research Institute chemist Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy and his postdoc Subhendu Bhowmik, came out of research exploring the transition from RNA-based lifeforms—commonly thought to be the first life on the planet—to the DNA-based life that is ubiquitous today. In making chimeric RNA-DNA molecules, Krishnamurthy and colleagues previously found that they have some advantages that might make them better candidates than pure RNA for the first reproducing molecules.

“There are times when we have mixtures, rather than just the isolated reactants that people typically use, and we get better results,” Nicholas Hud, a chemist at Georgia Tech who collaborated ...

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  • Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.

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