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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1–17Cite as

RNA World

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Synonyms

RNA life

Definition

The RNA world is a hypothesized early stage in the evolution of life that may have preceded the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of all modern organisms. In this scenario, ribonucleic acid (RNA) was the sole information-rich biopolymer, performing both the catalytic and genetic roles played by proteins and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), respectively, in the modern cell. The proposed vestiges of the RNA world are found throughout modern biology, most notably in the central functional roles of RNA found in protein translation.

Overview

Darwin’s prediction that all modern life has descended from a single, primitive common ancestor has been thoroughly confirmed by modern biology (Grant and Carpenter 2003). Indeed, comparative genomics has begun to shed light on the genome content of the last universal common ancestor(LUCA), revealing a biochemically sophisticated cellular organism with an extensive metabolism and a fully modern form of protein translation...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, 92037, CA, USA

    David P. Horning

Authors
  1. David P. Horning
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David P. Horning .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Horning, D.P. (2014). RNA World. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1740-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1740-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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