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EP: Fachverband Extraterrestrische Physik

EP 2: Exoplanets and Astrobiology

EP 2.5: Talk

Monday, March 20, 2023, 17:30–17:45, ZEU/0160

Origin of life - RNA viruses first? — •Karin Moelling — Inst Med Mikrobiol Uni Zürich Schweiz

The first biomolecules are replicating non-coding RNA enzymes, ribozymes, which can cleave and join and evolve. The ribozymes are the active component for protein synthesis, ribosomes are ribozymes. They are also designated as viroids. RNA is essential at many most prominent steps in metabolism, on planet Earth, as primers, as chief regulators (circRNA), in sperm for non-Mendelian transgenerational inheritance, for silencing, defense , evolution etc. RNA can do it all. It is unstable and sensitive and needs protection. The most versatile living entities are the archaea, which can cope with extreme environmental conditions, and were named extremophiles. They are very complicated and specialized to Earth conditions, they are innovative but evolution of metabolic pathways takes time. What are the most likely or unlikely conditions on Planet Earth, which allow to extrapolate to possible extraterrestric living conditions. The conflict is either a unique earth versus astronomical numbers of exoplanets. (Moelling K: Viren die Supermacht des Lebens (C.H. Beck Press) or "Viruses, more Friends than Foes (WSPress)).