This is a concept piece for a series of posters.

Each poster shows an image based on a peer reviewed paper with text that explains the science, the art, and the link to a custom web site.

The primordial role of RNA in the origin of life on our planet is one of many fascinating stories from our DNA. Like all the posters in the series, “RNA begat DNA” shows an image inspired by recent scientific research.

The text below the image explains why the science is so cool and how you can find out more on the web site "One Cool Molecule.com". This is the text on the poster:

The story: There is overwhelming evidence that all known life on earth had a common origin. But how did it start and more importantly — how did it replicate? “The RNA World” refers to a hypothetical time about three billion years ago when a small, single stranded molecule was the precursor to DNA. Recent research shows that RNA may have begat DNA. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) may have catalytic properties that could bootstrap itself to evolve into more complex forms.

The art: The art shown above is about evolution — from the origin of life to origin of our species. It shows single stranded RNA evolving to DNA, then small organisms transition from water to land. Midway up the image is a familiar landscape with the human species migrating to all parts of the world in a burst of A, T, C, and Gs.

The science: For current thought on evolution of primordial life read “RNA Worlds”, published by Cold Spring Harbor Press in 2010. The book is a compilation of papers about the function of RNA regulatory systems in our present day world, as well as mechanisms that sparked life 3.4 billion years ago.

Curious? Learn more about “The RNA World” when you visit One Cool Molecule.com. You’ll see how science and art come together to illuminate one cool molecule — RNA and the origins of all known life on our planet.