Soru

### Prebiotic Chemistry and the Origin of Life

Scientists debate the mechanisms by which the first living systems emerged on early Earth.

Hypothesis 1
The first life-like systems began with self-replicating ribonucleic acid ($RNA$) molecules. These $RNA$ molecules functioned both as the genetic blueprint and as catalysts (ribozymes) that drove the earliest metabolic reactions. Simple metabolic networks and proteins only evolved later under the control and direction of these self-replicating $RNA$ molecules.

Hypothesis 2
Life began as self-sustaining, organized networks of chemical reactions (metabolism) catalyzed by inorganic mineral surfaces, such as iron-sulfur minerals found at deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Genetic molecules like $RNA$ and $DNA$ did not initiate life; rather, they emerged much later as products of these metabolic networks to store genetic information and stabilize the pre-existing reactions.

New Evidence
Researchers simulated a hydrothermal vent environment containing iron-sulfur minerals but completely lacking any organic polymers (such as $RNA$ or proteins). When carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) and hydrogen ($H_2$) gases were introduced, the mineral surfaces catalyzed a self-sustaining cycle that continuously produced simple organic molecules, including amino acids and carboxylic acids.

Which of the following statements best describes how this new evidence impacts the two hypotheses?