One of the challenges facing scientists studying abiogenesis, or the origin of life from non-living components, is reconciling the current central dogma of molecular biology, with the fact that you need DNA to make proteins, but also need proteins to make DNA.
One potential explosion for the origin of life it that RNA, not DNA, was the first form of genetic material.
Which of the following findings would be the strongest evidence for the "RNA World" hypothesis?
A. RNA molecules are more prone to missense mutations
B. The hydroxyl group at the 2' positions of RNA is more prone to hydrolysis than in the DNA where the hydroxyl group is not present
C. RNA, but not DNA is able to self-replicate
D. RNA molecules are more sensitive to reactive oxygen species than DNA