Title:
The First Gene on Earth May Have Been a Hybrid
Author:
Andy Extance
Published:
Scientific American, 22 June 2020
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-first-gene-on-earth-may-have-been-a-hybrid/
From the article:
DNA and RNA, the two major modern forms of genetic code underpinning all of earthly biology, could have coexisted in strict pairings on our planet before life arose here, scientists in England, Scotland and Poland say. Using a hydrogen cyanide–based chemical system intended to mimic conditions in Earth’s early history, the researchers made four bases, the molecular “letters” of the genetic alphabet. Strung together, these bases form gene sequences that cells translate into proteins. But surprisingly, the team found that of the four bases their experiments consistently made, two were in a form found in DNA, whereas the other two were of a kind seen in RNA.