Origin of life: The RNA world

1986/02/20 by Walter Gilbert · 2,713 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #Abiogenesis #Biology #Computational biology #Evolutionary biology #Gene #Genetics #Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies #Origins and Evolution of Life #RNA #RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms #RNA world hypothesis #Ribozyme

paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/319618a0

published in Nature 319(6055), 618 (Nature Portfolio)

crossref issued 1986/02/20 · crossref published 1986/02/20 · crossref published-print 1986/02/20 · openalex publication_date 1986/02/20 · crossref created 2004/11/18 · crossref deposited 2025/04/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/08/06 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Citations

• The Origin of Genetic Information
• Coenzymes as fossils of an earlier metabolic state
• The Intervening Sequence RNA of Tetrahymena Is an Enzyme

Cited by

• Cladogenesis, coalescence and the evolution of the three domains of life
• Re-conceptualizing the origins of life
• The RNA Worlds in Context
• Noise-induced symmetry breaking far from equilibrium and the emergence of biological homochirality
• Excess Mutual Catalysis Is Required for Effective Evolvability
• A Stereoelectronic Effect in Prebiotic Nucleotide Synthesis
• Abiogenesis [wikipedia]