>>[ifinnigean] But, anyhow, what I’m getting at is RNA is auto catalytic.
"One theory goes like this:
RNA, the compliment molecule to DNA, was the first to evolve naturally from materials already common in the pre-biotic Earth. Self-replication was achieved through catalytic actions in RNA-based molecules, called ribosomes, or possibly through an intermediary molecule.
This step still remains unverified to science as of this writing."
{ and after that miracle }
"Once self-replication had been achieved, the forces of Natural Selection took over. For example, those molecules which were protected from the elements survived longer and reproduced more. So, any molecules which found themselves with a lipid bubble (which also forms naturally) would have a better chance of reproducing. After many incremental steps, the lipid bubbles eventually became cell membranes, and the molecules DNA.
For more information on the probability of life forming this way, please see this article."
http://evolutionfaq.com/faq/how-could-dna-have-evolved
ifinnegan - how many different unique molecules are requisitely involved in the RNA replication process?
“ifinnegan - how many different unique molecules are requisitely involved in the RNA replication process?”
Two at each step, the existing polymer and the single base or second polymer is incorporated in to the chain.