Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This question has puzzled scientists and curious citizens alike for many years.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This question has puzzled scientists and curious citizens alike for many years.
“The problem of the origin of life remains one of the deepest mysteries surrounding evolutionary molecular biology,” says Aashish Priye, University of Cincinnati assistant professor of chemical engineering.
Priye argues that the real question we should be asking ourselves is, which came first, the DNA or the protein?
DNA and proteins are the “fundamental machinery of life,” says Priye, and each plays an essential role. DNA stores genetic information and instructions to construct proteins. To be passed onto the next generation, however, DNA molecules have to be replicated through proteins. Together, DNA and protein form the simplest sustaining system of life.
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Image via University of Cincinnati.
