Which statement best summarizes the RNA World concept?

Which statement best summarizes the RNA World concept?

• A. Chloroplasts are the sites of respiration
• B. Miller-Urey Experiment demonstrates formation of organic molecules
• C. RNA can function both as a gene and an enzyme and could have carried genetic information; RNA can be transcribed into DNA using reverse transcription
• D. Leaves are the main photosynthetic organs

Answer: (C)

RNA World posits that RNA could do both jobs essential to life early on: storing genetic information and catalyzing chemical reactions. When RNA acts as a gene, it carries the instructions to build and replicate itself; when it functions as an enzyme, it can accelerate biochemical reactions (ribozymes demonstrate this catalytic capability). The idea that RNA could be transcribed into DNA via reverse transcription also fits a plausible evolutionary trajectory—from an RNA-based system to a DNA-based one—since modern biology uses reverse transcription to convert RNA to DNA in some contexts. Taken together, this statement captures the central feature of the RNA World: RNA’s dual role as both information carrier and catalyst, with a feasible path to the later DNA-based world. The other statements describe topics unrelated to this concept, such as plant respiration, origins of organic molecules in general, or plant anatomy.

RNA World posits that RNA could do both jobs essential to life early on: storing genetic information and catalyzing chemical reactions. When RNA acts as a gene, it carries the instructions to build and replicate itself; when it functions as an enzyme, it can accelerate biochemical reactions (ribozymes demonstrate this catalytic capability). The idea that RNA could be transcribed into DNA via reverse transcription also fits a plausible evolutionary trajectory—from an RNA-based system to a DNA-based one—since modern biology uses reverse transcription to convert RNA to DNA in some contexts. Taken together, this statement captures the central feature of the RNA World: RNA’s dual role as both information carrier and catalyst, with a feasible path to the later DNA-based world. The other statements describe topics unrelated to this concept, such as plant respiration, origins of organic molecules in general, or plant anatomy.