The 'RNA World' hypothesis presupposes the existence of a catalytic RNA that can polymerize nucleotide triphosphates to replicate a template, but such chemistry has not previously been detected in natural ribozymes. Detailed investigation of the products of a bacterial self-splicing group I intron now suggest that such ribozymes indeed exist in nature.
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Lehman, N. A ghost in the RNA machine. Nat Chem Biol 5, 73–74 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio0209-73
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio0209-73
