Modified nucleic acids, also called xeno nucleic acids (XNAs), offer a variety of advantages
for biotechnological applications and address some of the limitations of first-generation …

The emergence of the replication of RNA oligonucleotides was a critical step in the origin of
life. An important model for the study of nonenzymatic template copying, which would be a …

We propose a model for the replication of primordial protocell genomes that builds upon
recent advances in the nonenzymatic copying of RNA. We suggest that the original …

The identification of nonenzymatic pathways for nucleic acid replication is a key challenge in
understanding the origin of life. We have previously shown that nonenzymatic RNA primer …

The nonenzymatic replication of ribonucleic acid (RNA) may have enabled the propagation
of genetic information during the origin of life. RNA copying can be initiated in the laboratory …

Recent advances in prebiotic chemistry are beginning to outline plausible pathways for the
synthesis of the canonical ribonucleotides and their assembly into oligoribonucleotides …

2-Thiouridine (s2U) is a nucleobase modification that confers enhanced efficiency and
fidelity both on modern tRNA codon translation and on nonenzymatic and ribozyme …

It is likely that RNA replication began non-enzymatically, and that polymerases were later
selected to speed up the process. We consider replication mechanisms in modern viruses …

The formose reaction is often cited as a prebiotic source of sugars and remains one of the
most plausible forms of autocatalysis on the early Earth. Herein, we investigated how …

Nonenzymatic template-directed RNA copying requires catalysis by divalent metal ions. The
primer extension reaction involves the attack of the primer 3′-hydroxyl on the adjacent …