Scientists believe that prior to the advent of DNA as the
earth’s primary genetic material, early forms of life used RNA to encode
genetic instructions. What sort of genetic molecules did life
rely on before RNA?
The answer may be AEG, a small molecule when linked into
chains form a hypothetical
backbone for Peptide Nucleic Acids, which have been
hypothesized as the first genetic
molecules. Synthetic AEG has been studied by the
pharmaceutical industry as a possible genesilencer
to stop or slow certain genetic diseases. The only problem
with the theory is that up to
now, AEG has been unknown from nature.