From: henry@spsystems.net   
      
   In article <260120051655374212%benburch@pobox.com>,   
   Ben Burch   wrote:   
   >My concern here is what happens when you dump RNA and DNA into a   
   >reducing soup containing amino acids at whatever temperature.   
   >Sometimes, or so I understand, the RNA and DNA replicate even without   
   >an enclosing cell...   
      
   DNA needs a complex set of supporting machinery to replicate.  RNA can   
   replicate by itself, although somewhat imperfectly, given a supply of   
   bases.  (Those are not amino acids; amino acids are what make up   
   *proteins*, not nucleic acids like RNA.)   
      
   However, RNA can and does appear spontaneously given a supply of bases.   
   If there are substantial supplies of suitable raw materials sloshing   
   around on Titan, then there will already be RNA present... and it will be   
   evolved to suit conditions (yes, RNA can evolve, in simple ways) much   
   better than any random Earth RNA would be.   
      
   >This could actually make a global change to the   
   >chemistry of Titan, if it could occur under those conditions.  Proteins   
   >can sometimes self-replicate, too.  This could cause a sort of   
   >molecular evolution to begin there...   
      
   Again, if suitable conditions exist, then almost certainly they have   
   existed for long enough for such a development to start spontaneously.   
   --   
   "Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend."    |   Henry Spencer   
                                   -- George Herbert       | henry@spsystems.net   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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