Understanding the origins of life on Earth involves unraveling how RNA molecules could have formed and replicated in prebiotic conditions. Here, the authors develop a theoretical and computational framework demonstrating that non-enzymatic RNA polymerization and template replication were feasible at aqueous-clay interfaces, driven by environmental oscillations with a periodicity consistent with spring tide dynamics, suggesting that large moons may have influenced the emergence of RNA-based life.
- Carla Alejandre
- Adrián Aguirre-Tamaral
- Jacobo Aguirre
