The duplicating of DNA or the copying of information from DNA into RNA, both represent very complex processes. Origin of life theorists often suggest that if some DNA or RNA is present, copying the information should be easy for a developing life system. Not so. The polymerase enzyme which expedites these processes is extremely large and the copying process is very energy intensive. Providing the energy itself requires a lot of cell hardware such as ATP synthase.

The complexity of the system for docking the polymerase complex at the appropriate point on the DNA, and the nature of the polymerase molecule itself, mean that chance could never get this process right. After viewing the video recommended below, you should have a much enhanced understanding of the problems involved in any spontaneous evolution of such a system.

Related Resources

• The Central Dogma: DNA to Proteins (YouTube, 11 min). Animated illustration of how complex the process is to copy information from the DNA into RNA and then to translate that into a protein. The “machines” illustrate the process.