What powered the Earth's earliest life?

Early biological systems likely relied on RNA molecules to copy themselves and drive simple chemical reactions. Any system that could generate guanosine-triphosphate (GTP)—which is necessary for RNA synthesis—from prebiotic chemicals would gain a crucial advantage toward self-replication. Now, researchers from the University of California San Diego report a version of an RNA enzyme (ribozyme) that makes GTP synthesis more efficient than its predecessor. Early biological systems likely relied on RNA molecules to copy themselves and drive simple chemical reactions. Any system that could generate guanosine-triphosphate (GTP)—which is necessary for RNA synthesis—from prebiotic chemicals would gain a cru... [1042 chars]