5.2.4 Viruses and the Origin of Life
Channel: Are We Alone?
Date: 2021-10-04

Viruses and the origin of life. In the evolution of life RNA preceded DNA. Ribozymes (made of RNA) can store information like DNA but can also catalyze reactions (like proteins do). A pre-nucleotide world may have preceded the RNA world. Highly conserved protein folding families have been used to create a tree of viruses onto which the tree of cellular life can be grafted. Are cellular life forms a type of virus?