For evolution you need something that can self replicate, mutate, & be under selection pressure. Self-Replicating RNA Enzymes suit those criteria.
Just look at the long string of processes the chemists had to go through to make that RNA in the lab. Even then its just white noise and gets destroyed in the presence of oxygen.
We’re also looking through the lens of survivorship bias. We dont know all the organisms that didn’t work out. It is possible there are even more simple self replicating molecules.
& yes everything gets degraded over time. The question is what is the balance between self replicating & degrading? People degrade but not before self replicating.
wonderful animations. *yes people degrade constantly but not to the point they cannot self replicate (an assumption buried in previous mRNA enzyme posts)
You don't get replication without that splitting machine, so that's something that has to jump out of your alphabet soup fully functional.
true you dont get replication… in this organism. The RNA enzyme above can self replicate, & mutate. Minimum needed to evolve any function.
Other groups work on how nucleotides & amino acids could be made in early earth conditions. side note: this was done in water in an open container at 42C so there was oxygen.
