{"record":{"author":{"account_ref":null,"orcid":null},"builds_on":[],"content_schema":"pubphys.content.revision/1","content_sha256":"f4ec18601740a98e1f7475c02291e13da01d4950c3526f25a894ebb69eafdc6d","created":"2026-10-03T07:17:57Z","files":[],"origin":{"assisted_by":[],"kind":"seed"},"parents":["5475cf5dc5b1a72283d26dc95dc6e00d7ea4e00096a7c6492e409a1816eeb011","d2d536ffa9284b6d2d2e98b89fed01b07118433274c0382f778af59853186d9f"],"salt":"c6fdc4743a7d11dc265aa902250aa69f16f98bd0bc0d6a56f6ee8ea225223d85","schema":"pubphys.record/2","site":"pubphys.com","target":null,"type":"revision"},"content":{"answer_type":"yes-no","assisted_by":[],"external_id":"bio.origin-of-life.rna-self-replicase","kind":"well-posed","literature_status":"partially-resolved","n":"1","parents":[{"note":"","parent_revision":"d2d536ffa9284b6d2d2e98b89fed01b07118433274c0382f778af59853186d9f","relation":"special_case"}],"plain":"In the RNA-world idea, early life used RNA both as genes and as enzymes, which requires an RNA able to copy itself. In 2026 a 45-nucleotide RNA enzyme copied itself and its partner strand, but too slowly and too inaccurately for its numbers to keep growing over many rounds.","posed_since":"","precise":"A polymerase ribozyme of length $L$ must synthesize complete copies of itself and of its complementary strand with per-nucleotide fidelity $q$ satisfying $L(1 - q) < \\operatorname{ln}(\\sigma)$ (Eigen error threshold; $\\sigma$ = selective advantage of the correct sequence), at yields that allow exponential growth over repeated cycles that include strand separation. QT45, a 45-nucleotide ribozyme (Gianni and co-workers, Science 2026), synthesizes its complementary strand from a random triplet pool at $q = 0.941$ and a copy of itself from defined triplet substrates, each at about 0.2% yield in 72 days in eutectic ice. Answer: yes or no, with a demonstrated system showing sustained exponential amplification of both strands over many rounds without defined oligomer feeds.","problem_ref":null,"references":"","settled_by":"Demonstration of sustained exponential amplification of a ribozyme by its own copying activity over many rounds, with sequence fidelity measured by deep sequencing.","status_note":"In 2026 the 45-nucleotide ribozyme QT45 synthesized its complementary strand ($94.1\\%$ fidelity) and a copy of itself at about $0.2\\%$ yield in $72\\,\\mathrm{days}$; sustained self-replication has not been reported (Science, doi 10.1126/science.adt2760).","title":"Sustained exponential self-replication by a polymerase ribozyme","topic_ref":"819c3cf4ef1ce5d66c72a382f1081518f28c7f8a56681c740fe7338f60746ab9"},"attested":{"attestation":{"batch":null,"client_id":null,"id_token_sha256":null,"kind":"platform"},"record_hash":"f090f5868ce53bf9e71b445ca5fcc56247cf53a3e38b79dc646e15830c4f9ca9","schema":"pubphys.attested/1"},"envelope":{"attested_hash":"41c97df93f434943a38b0a56c6f66928382e40de44bd3e55f4d5b97ceae332e8","platform_signature":{"key_id":"c6afc19b31429869751f06879c75cd64ea92654423d15b44be775bf1310a60da","sig":"_5EUmts2MiPFzij56uLJBZtdV2Rcgq_7Fwz38-92GhdVIFd942-ztqJ2xFj8lz11ktEzkjPUzXzyApji5qrZCw"},"schema":"pubphys.envelope/1"},"record_hash":"f090f5868ce53bf9e71b445ca5fcc56247cf53a3e38b79dc646e15830c4f9ca9","leaf_index":820}