Table 1.

Molecular replicators—common templates and replication machinery.

template	replication machinery	examples
ds DNA (double-stranded DNA)	DNA polymerase transposase reverse transcriptase miscellaneous	adenovirus, the common cold viruses transposons, the bulk of the eukaryotic genome
ss DNA (single-stranded DNA)	DNA polymerase miscellaneous	microviridae, viruses infecting bacteria that infect humans
ds RNA	RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) miscellaneous	rotaviruses, cause gastroenteritis
+RNA (ss-positive sense RNA, can act as a messenger RNA)	RdRp reverse transcriptase miscellaneous	rhinoviruses, cause common coldHIV
‒RNA (ss-negative sense, cannot act as a messenger)	RdRp miscellaneous	influenza viruses
miscellaneous	miscellaneous	pleolipoviruses, viruses with both dsDNA- and ssDNA-infecting Archaea [8]