Apr 13
Chemistry Majors' Student Comps Talk
'Chemical Evolution: An Exploration into the Origins of Life'
Saki Amagai, Anirudh Appachar, Sam Diaz de Leon, TJ Lynch, Isaac Martinez, Katherine Ortell, Paul Peterson, Sam Purfeerst
The central dogma of molecular biology states that DNA is transcribed into RNA and later translated into proteins. However, we encounter the “chicken and egg” problem when applying this dogma to the origin of life: nucleic acids are replicated by proteins, yet proteins are coded for by nucleic acids.
The fact that RNA alone is capable of storing genetic information and catalyzing certain reactions makes it a promising candidate to be the progenitor of both DNA and proteins. However, a variety of factors impede the prebiotic synthesis of RNA, and a protein-free de novo synthesis under prebiotic conditions has yet to be demonstrated. This difficulty has led many researchers to hypothesize the existence of a prebiotically plausible proto-polymer which eventually lead to RNA as a product of chemical evolution. We will present Professor Nicholas Hud’s approach to solving this problem on Friday, April 13th at 3:30pm in Olin 149. Our talk will complement the presentation by Professor Hud on April 20th. We look forward to seeing everyone there!
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