Amino acids as catalysts in the emergence of RNA
The question of how life could have emerged is one of the most long-standing mysteries in science. In a new study, the laboratory of LMU Professor Dieter Braun has uncovered an unexpected form of molecular collaboration between the fundamental components of life. The researchers found that amino acids—simple, abundant molecules on early Earth—can actively promote the polymerization of RNA under mild, prebiotic conditions.
The question of how life could have emerged is one of the most long-standing mysteries in science. In a new study, the laboratory of LMU Professor Dieter Braun has uncovered an unexpected form of molecular collaboration between the fundamental components of life. The researchers found that amino acids—simple, abundant molecules on early Earth—can actively promote the polymerization of RNA under mild, prebiotic conditions.
