Scientists today know mostly everything there is to know about life on prebiotic Earth approximately four billion years ago, yet, they still do not possess the answer as to how life came to be from inorganic matter. Many question how life could have risen from non-living materials and become as complex as it is. Nobody knows for certain how the transition from inorganic matter to life occurred, however, there are several theories made to explain this transition (i.e. Clay theory, Primordial Soup Theory, RNA World, etc.). Life chemically first arose from inorganic matter due to the environment created by hydrothermal vents, the production of RNA, and clay hydrogels.
Primarily, the environment created by hydrothermal vents could have led to …show more content…
RNA is ribonucleic acid made of nucleotides and is helpful in synthesizing proteins. One theory, known as the RNA World Theory, explains the idea of how RNA can create life. It was created by Francis Crick and other scientists, who suggested that RNA World could have been the pathway to cells. This theory states that RNA was assembled by chance, and then was able to act as both an enzyme and as a hereditary molecule. RNA systems were then acted upon by natural selection and eventually led to greater complexity such as DNA. These ideas are also backed by evidence. For example, during the 1980s, scientists Cech and Altman conducted research that proved that RNA molecules can act as enzymes/catalysts. This was also known as the discovery of the ribozyme. Also, further evidence shows there are still RNA enzymes in use in organisms today. RNA World is also supported by a recent finding in the University of Colorado. A new RNA molecule created by the University of Colorado scientists can catalyze a key reaction necessary for synthesizing proteins. Finally, structural and biochemical analyses reveal that the mechanisms central for translation (the process of assembling a peptide chain based on a RNA sequence) is catalyzed by RNA, not protein. All of this evidence proves that RNA could have helped in the transition to …show more content…
However, combining these theories could fully explain life’s transition from nonliving to living. To add on, first, the Hydrothermal Vent theory states that because of its battery-like gradient it was able to produce nucleotides. RNA is made of nucleotides. Thus, a conclusion can be drawn that there might have been a way for these nucleotides to link together and form chains of RNA. Or, alternatively, RNA could have already been created in the hydrothermal vents, in which case now the RNA was already produced and then the RNA molecules were able to take on double roles as enzymes and hereditary molecules and eventually evolve into DNA, which is necessary for life. However, the role of clay hydrogels is important as well, as once the RNA attaches to the clay hydrogel (due to the fact that biomolecules tend to attach to the clay’s surface) these hydrogels can now protect the RNA effectively from nucleases as well as any other harmful substances on primitive Earth. Also, the clay hydrogel can also allow the RNA to carry out its chemical processes until the cell membrane develops. Using the three theories creates an even better explanation for how life could have formed from inorganic
Primarily, the environment created by hydrothermal vents could have led to …show more content…
RNA is ribonucleic acid made of nucleotides and is helpful in synthesizing proteins. One theory, known as the RNA World Theory, explains the idea of how RNA can create life. It was created by Francis Crick and other scientists, who suggested that RNA World could have been the pathway to cells. This theory states that RNA was assembled by chance, and then was able to act as both an enzyme and as a hereditary molecule. RNA systems were then acted upon by natural selection and eventually led to greater complexity such as DNA. These ideas are also backed by evidence. For example, during the 1980s, scientists Cech and Altman conducted research that proved that RNA molecules can act as enzymes/catalysts. This was also known as the discovery of the ribozyme. Also, further evidence shows there are still RNA enzymes in use in organisms today. RNA World is also supported by a recent finding in the University of Colorado. A new RNA molecule created by the University of Colorado scientists can catalyze a key reaction necessary for synthesizing proteins. Finally, structural and biochemical analyses reveal that the mechanisms central for translation (the process of assembling a peptide chain based on a RNA sequence) is catalyzed by RNA, not protein. All of this evidence proves that RNA could have helped in the transition to …show more content…
However, combining these theories could fully explain life’s transition from nonliving to living. To add on, first, the Hydrothermal Vent theory states that because of its battery-like gradient it was able to produce nucleotides. RNA is made of nucleotides. Thus, a conclusion can be drawn that there might have been a way for these nucleotides to link together and form chains of RNA. Or, alternatively, RNA could have already been created in the hydrothermal vents, in which case now the RNA was already produced and then the RNA molecules were able to take on double roles as enzymes and hereditary molecules and eventually evolve into DNA, which is necessary for life. However, the role of clay hydrogels is important as well, as once the RNA attaches to the clay hydrogel (due to the fact that biomolecules tend to attach to the clay’s surface) these hydrogels can now protect the RNA effectively from nucleases as well as any other harmful substances on primitive Earth. Also, the clay hydrogel can also allow the RNA to carry out its chemical processes until the cell membrane develops. Using the three theories creates an even better explanation for how life could have formed from inorganic