RNA世界假说可能是地球上生命出现最广泛研究的模型。尽管有大量证据支持RNA能够启动自催化自我复制,从而启动生命的出现,理论上看似不可逾越的弱点也被凸显出来。这些问题可以通过新的实验方法来克服,包括不平衡的环境,以及探索RNA和其他关键生物分子如肽和DNA的早期共同进化,这对于减轻仅RNA系统的缺点可能是必要的。
The RNA world hypothesis is probably the most extensively studied model for the emergence of life on Earth. Despite a large body of evidence supporting the idea that RNA is capable of kick-starting autocatalytic self-replication and thus initiating the emergence of life, seemingly insurmountable weaknesses in the theory have also been highlighted. These problems could be overcome by novel experimental approaches, including out-of-equilibrium environments, and the exploration of an early co-evolution of RNA and other key biomolecules such as peptides and DNA, which might be necessary to mitigate the shortcomings of RNA-only systems.