Comment by kjkjadksj
> RNA has two main functions based on its information-storage property: the replication of RNA using a template of RNA (which was the single form of nucleic acid replication before the existence of DNA) and the synthesis of proteins using RNA as a template.
This heavily simplifies what RNA is capable of doing. When we talk about the ribosome templating rna to make protein, that is true, but the ribosome itself is made out of structural rRNA and some rna bound protein. RNAs have been found to have enzyme activity alone. When people talk about the RNA world hypothesis they mean that RNA is sufficient to be the information and catalytic unit of early life, as a sort of occams razor what is the most simple step with the fewest parts involved before taking more complicated steps with more separate pieces sort of way.
“ the majority of known ribozymes carry out mostly phosphoryl transfer reactions”
Now that sure seems like a potential smoking gun for an early phosphorylation based energy cycle.