Hi. I have read several articles online that RNA has been observed to form spontaneously when water is exposed to basaltic rock. I have read that in labs the RNA has developed a way to go further and self replicate. Everything most up to date online seems behind a paywall.
I was wondering if any of you have more current information. I'm particularly interested if the self replication has been observed in the " wild" yet outside the lab.
The problem with RNA is that it looks like a delicious snack to modern bacteria, so it doesn't really exist outside aseptic laboratory conditions, at least, not for long. And if it does, it's almost impossible to tell apart from the RNA that those bacteria bring to the party in any non-sterile environment, so we can't see the wood for the trees.
Of course, on the promordial Earth, there were no bacteria, and no such problem; If we know that RNA can form spontaneously; And we know that it can not only self-replicate, but can self-catalyse its own replication, in laboratory conditions, then it would be pervrse and illogical to believe that all those things would not have happened millions of times on the pre-biotic Earth (or indeed on
any planet with the right conditions for liquid water, and sufficient phosphate, carbon dioxide, and other simple molecules in proximity to basaltic rocks).
The question is "Why
wouldn't it happen?". And the answer on Earth is that existing life is very good at scavenging those molecules as nutrients. But in the absence of existing life, there really isn't much to stop RNA from forming into self-replicators in this way, in "the wild".
Excessive heat, or high levels of ionising radiation, might stop it. But there's going to be a cool, shady, shielded spot somewhere on most planets with liquid water on them. Liquid water itself makes an excellent shield against ionizing radiation.
