"Szostak began his talk by posing a question to the audience: Is life common in the universe, or is Earth a rare exception? While the discovery of exoplanets leads many to believe life could be widespread, Szostak said that the complexity of cell formation makes that seem less probable. Central to Szostak's talk was the "RNA World" hypothesis - the idea that early life initially revolved around RNA molecules before the advent of complex cellular structures."
""The idea that RNA could act as an enzyme was put forth in the 1960s by some really smart people like Francis Crick, Leslie Orgel and Carl Woese, but no one believed them," Szostak said. Then, in the early 1980s, scientists Sidney Altman and Thomas Cech showed that RNA could do more than transfer genetic material within cells but also act as an enzyme and engage in chemical reactions."
Decades of research have investigated how simple molecules could assemble into the first living systems and whether life is common or rare in the universe. Exoplanet discoveries suggest many potential habitats, but the complexity of cell formation makes spontaneous emergence of life questionable. The RNA World hypothesis proposes that RNA molecules initially performed both genetic and catalytic roles before complex cells evolved. Discoveries in the 1980s demonstrated RNA catalytic activity, raising questions about how RNA could arise abiotically on early Earth and how those molecules could be incorporated into primitive cellular compartments. Questioning assumptions and following unexpected results guide experimental progress.
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