ABC Radio National






Date/Time 25 Nov 2015 8:20:33pm
Part 2 of the above:

Self replicating molecules don't start from one thing, but a relationship between two, RNA and protein, Yin and Yang. Not adjacent to sulphur vents deep in the ocean, but in the rock pools where there is dynamic equilibrium. Day and night, hot and cold, salinity up and salinity down, catabolism during the day an anabolism at night. RNA acting as template for the assembly of simple proteins and simple proteins acting as enzymes to cut the RNA template and rearrange it in different ways, in turn to act as template for more complex proteins. DNA comes later as a way of the pair archiving their experiments. Life!
