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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1986 Mar;83(5):1271–1275. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.5.1271

Speculations on the early course of evolution.

J E Darnell, W F Doolittle
PMCID: PMC323057  PMID: 2419905

Abstract

The proposal that RNA preceded DNA in evolution is more than 15 years old. In light of recent studies on RNA processing (including protein-free reactions), present knowledge about eukaryotic gene structure, and studies comparing ribosomal RNA sequences, we propose a train of events for precellular and early cellular evolution.

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Selected References

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