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  "path": "/post/47403980",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-13T21:37:29.000Z",
  "site": "https://mander.xyz",
  "tags": [
    "Science",
    "supersquirrel",
    "1 comments",
    "https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/02/researchers-find-small-rnas-that-can-make-copies-of-themselves/"
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  "textContent": "submitted by supersquirrel to science\n21 points | 1 comments\nhttps://arstechnica.com/science/2026/02/researchers-find-small-rnas-that-can-make-copies-of-themselves/\n\n> It’s worth taking a moment to consider the use of three-base RNA fragments by this enzyme. On the surface, this may seem a bit like cheating, since current RNA polymerases add sequence one base at a time. But in reality, any chemical environment that could spontaneously assemble an RNA molecule 45 bases long will produce many fragments shorter than that. So in many ways, this might be a more realistic model of the conditions in which life emerged.\n\n> The authors note that these shorter fragments may be essential for QT-45’s activity. The short ribozyme probably doesn’t have the ability to enzymatically pry base-paired strands of RNA apart to copy them. But in a mixture of lots of small fragments, there’s likely to be an equilibrium, with some base-paired sequences spontaneously popping open and temporarily base pairing with a shorter fragment. Working with these base-paired fragments is probably essential to the ribozyme’s overall activity.",
  "title": "Tiny, 45 base long RNA can make copies of itself"
}