Problem-Solving Nucleic Acid-Based Prebiotic Entities as Origin of Life

How life originated in the ancient abiotic world is one of the most fundamental questions in modern bioscience. To address this problem, I propose a scientifically credible, fact-based scenario involving a pre life molecular entity that ultimately gave rise to living organisms. This entity consisted of DNA and RNA, in which double stranded linear DNA replicated in a calm environment with the assistance of RNA and served as a stable repository of information essential for evolution and survival. In the same environment, RNA molecules with catalytic activity replicated exclusively in stem–loop forms and gave rise to ribosomal and transfer RNAs. Under such calm, ribonucleotide rich conditions, the information stored in double stranded linear DNA was transcribed into messenger RNA. The seemingly improbable emergence of the extraordinarily complex translational system is hypothesized to have occurred through extended wobble-based recognition of all messenger RNA triplets by only two prebiotic tRNAs, enabling protein synthesis. Finally, independently evolved rRNA and tRNA are proposed to have been abiotically reverse transcribed and integrated into DNA based entities in a calm, deoxynucleotide rich environment. Thus, DNA and RNA are functionally interdependent: DNA stores genetic information encoding essential RNAs and produces self-beneficial protein products, whereas information stable double stranded DNA relies on RNA for its replication and transcription, particularly in calm prebiotic environments. This mutual dependence establishes a self-sustaining molecular system capable of problem solving, thereby enabling the emergence and evolution of life.