Information in the RNA world of early life
Prof. Irene A. Chen - University of California, Santa Barbara
The storage and propagation of biological information is one of the hallmarks of life. However, early replicating systems faced several difficulties related to information. How much information could be stored? Was that information meaningful for function? Does the ability to replicate information well interfere with functional activity? Using experimental systems of nucleic acids, we find that chemical mechanisms can resolve some of these issues, clearing the path for the emergence of replicators during the origin of life.