The emergence of RNA from prebiotic mixtures of nucleotides, Jack Szostak, Nobel laureate, Harvard

Jack Szostak
Nobel Laureate, 2009
Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Professor, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
Alex Rich Distinguished Investigator, Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

"The emergence of RNA from prebiotic mixtures of nucleotides”

The first genetic polymers may have been nucleic acids with significant heterogeneity in the chemistry of their nucleobases, sugar components, and backbone connectivity. I will describe our ongoing efforts to explore the chemistry, structure and properties of potentially prebiotic versions of RNA, with particular emphasis on the effects of such variations on the process of nonenzymatic RNA replication. Our findings suggest a model for the transition from early heterogeneous nucleic acids to a more homogeneous form that is closer to modern RNA.

The Origins of Life Speaker Series explores the conditions and circumstances that led to the diversity of life on Earth. The interdisciplinary series will connect the formation of planets, the evolution of early Earth, and the complex chemistry and delivery of the fundamental organic molecules that serve as the building blocks of early life, and how they can establish complex, self-replicating systems of cells and genetic material. Learn more: https://physicalsciences.uchicago.edu...

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