During chemical evolution, minerals might have played the role of catalyst in the formation of bio-oligomers by adsorbing monomers on their surfaces and thereby providing an environment to react with each other. RNA world hypothesis suggests RNA to be the ancestral genetic material which might have led to the emergence of cellular life. Much research has been done on the potential of montmorillonite (a phyllosilicate mineral) as a catalyst for oligomer formation because it is formed by weathering of volcanic ash, which was present in abundance on early Earth. RNA-like oligomers having chain length of 30-50 mers have been synthesized in the presence of montmorillonite. Generation of RNAs with chain length greater than 40 mers would have been sufficient enough for initiation of first life on Earth.

In 1947, John Bernal delivered a lecture in which he suggested that during the early stages of chemical evolution, minerals might have played the role of catalyst in the process of formation of bio-oligomers. Minerals help to create an environment that favors the formation of bio-oligomers by adsorbing monomers onto their surfaces and arranging them in proper orientation to react with each other. He also suggested that minerals might have protected these monomers from the harmful effects of UV radiation as they get adsorbed onto the mineral surfaces (Ertem et al., 2008).

According to RNA world hypothesis, RNA was responsible for both storing the genetic information as well as catalyzing biochemical reactions. This suggests that early life was based on RNA rather than DNA and protein. After almost forty years of formulation, there is still a controversy regarding the hypothesis of the RNA world, even though much study has been done on RNA catalysis in cellular processes. These studies have increased the plausibility that RNA world might have existed which could have played a role in evolution, leading to the emergence of cellular life. After the synthesis of RNA monomers under prebiotic conditions, the immediate challenge for RNA life would be their subsequent efficient polymerization to yield ribozymes.

Genetics & Evolution Journal, Montmorillonite, RNA-like Oligomers, Prebiotic Mineral Catalysis, Ribozymes, RNA Polymers, Montmorillonite, Oligonucleotides, Montmorillonite Catalysis, Phyllosilicate Mineral, Cation Exchange Capacity, Phosphodiester Bonds, Biochemical Reactions, Hypoxanthine.