Science and Technology News

Self-Replicating RNA – QT45

March 5 , 2026 14 hrs 0 min 52 0

Scientists have reported that RNA may have been Earth’s first genetic material after discovering a self-replicating RNA molecule called QT45.
QT45 is a small RNA molecule of 45 nucleotides that can copy itself under special conditions.
This supports the RNA World hypothesis, which suggests early life depended only on RNA before DNA and proteins evolved.
The Miller–Urey experiment in 1953 showed that amino acids could form under early Earth conditions, but it did not produce DNA or RNA.
QT45 copies itself using three-nucleotide building blocks, but the process is very slow compared to modern cells.