{"658197":{"#nid":"658197","#data":{"type":"external_news","title":"Synthetic RNA Can Build Peptides, Hinting at Life\u2019s Beginnings","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERNA has long been thought to be a key molecule\u0026nbsp;in the primordial soup that was Earth a few billion years ago, because it can not only store genetic information but also act as an enzyme \u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;two key functions needed for the development of life. But whether RNA-based life really existed, what it looked like, and how it evolved into the DNA-, RNA-, and protein-based organisms of today have remained open questions.\u0026nbsp;Now, a study published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-022-04676-3\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENature\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;points to the possibility that RNAs may have played a role in building early proteins by simply linking amino acids together. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/loren-williams\u0022\u003ELoren Williams\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E, did not participate in the study but says if\u0026nbsp;the origins of RNA \u0026quot;and the origins of protein are linked, and their emergence is not independent, then the math shifts radically in favor of an RNA\u0026ndash;protein world and away from an RNA world.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2022-05-13 14:57:53","changed_gmt":"2022-05-13 14:57:53","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","publication_url":"https:\/\/www.the-scientist.com\/news-opinion\/synthetic-rna-can-build-peptides-hinting-at-life-s-beginnings-70010","dateline":{"date":"2022-05-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2022-05-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166928","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"10720","name":"Loren Williams"},{"id":"984","name":"RNA"},{"id":"190620","name":"peptides"},{"id":"11383","name":"proteins"},{"id":"109501","name":"amino acids"},{"id":"136661","name":"origins of life"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}