Which prebiotic condition would have MOST significantly hindered the formation of stable RNA polymers in the early Earth environment?
An abundance of organic molecules like amino acids and nucleotides
The presence of clay minerals that can catalyze RNA polymerization
High concentrations of metal ions that catalyze RNA hydrolysis
Alternating cycles of wetting and drying
Related Questions
Ribozymes are an important piece of evidence supporting the RNA world hypothesis. What is the primary function of a ribozyme?
Storing genetic information
Transporting amino acids
Catalyzing biochemical reactions
Forming cell membranes
Which process is essential for maintaining the chromosome number across generations in sexually reproducing organisms?
Mitosis
Meiosis
Binary Fission
Fragmentation
Ribozyme was discovered by
Kuhne
Duclaux
Cech
Altmann
Why is the existence of the ribosome considered further evidence for the RNA world hypothesis?
Ribosomes are primarily composed of proteins.
Ribosomes synthesize DNA.
The catalytic core of the ribosome is made of rRNA.
Ribosomes are found only in eukaryotes.
Non genetic RNA is of?
Genetic information transfer
Regulatory, catalytic, and structural roles
Protein coding
Energy storage
A scientist isolates RNA from a eukaryotic cell. A significant portion of the isolated RNA is found to be associated with large protein complexes. Which type of RNA is this most likely to be?
mRNA
tRNA
rRNA
snRNA
Which of the following RNAs should be most abundant in animal cell?
mi-RNA
r-RNA
t-RNA
m-RNA
Which type of RNA is the most abundant in a typical animal cell?
mRNA
tRNA
rRNA
snRNA
Why do RNA viruses, particularly those with short lifespans, tend to evolve more rapidly than DNA viruses?
Lower mutation rate in RNA and longer life span
Higher mutation rate in RNA and shorter life span
Lower mutation rate in DNA and shorter life span
Similar mutation rates in RNA and DNA
The “RNA world” hypothesis proposes that RNA preceded DNA and proteins as the primary genetic material. A major challenge to this hypothesis is the relative instability of RNA compared to DNA. Why is RNA less stable?
RNA utilizes uracil instead of thymine.
RNA is typically single-stranded.
The 2'-OH group on the ribose sugar makes RNA susceptible to hydrolysis.
RNA is shorter than DNA.
