RNA's 2′-hydroxyl group may explain its survival on early Earth

Researchers at the University at Buffalo and Princeton found that the 2′-hydroxyl group, absent in DNA, prompts RNA to form gel-like droplets as temperatures rise. Such condensates could have sheltered the molecule on early Earth long before cell walls evolved. The study appears in Nature Communications.

• The 2′-OH group exists in RNA but not in DNA
• Heating drives RNA to form gel-like condensates
• Methods included temperature-controlled microscopy and x-ray scattering
• The work builds on a 2023 Nature Chemistry study