APPENDIX: Contents of the Previous Edition

Abstract

THE ORIGINS OF RNA AND RNA AT THE ORIGIN

1 Before RNA and After: Geophysical and Geochemical Constraints on Molecular Evolution

Stephen J. Mojzsis, Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, and Gustaf Arrhenius

2 Prospects for Understanding the Origin of the RNA World

Gerald F. Joyce and Leslie E. Orgel

3 The Genomic Tag Hypothesis: What Molecular Fossils Tell Us about the Evolution of tRNA

Nancy Maizels and Alan M. Weiner

4 Probing RNA Structure, Function, and History by Comparative Analysis

Norman R. Pace, Brian C. Thomas, and Carl R. Woese

5 Re-creating an RNA Replicase

David P. Bartel

6 Did the RNA World Exploit an Expanded Genetic Alphabet?

Steven A. Benner, Petra Burgstaller, Thomas R. Battersby, and Simona Jurczyk

7 Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases and Self-acylating Ribozymes

Michael Yarus and Mali Illangasekare

8 On the Origin of the Ribosome: Coevolution of Subdomains of tRNA and rRNA

Harry F. Noller

9 Introns and the RNA World

Walter Gilbert and Sandro J. de Souza

HOW TO BUILD A FUNCTIONAL RNA

10 The Interactions That Shape RNA Structure

Mark E. Burkard, Douglas H. Turner, and Ignacio Tinoco, Jr.

11 Small Ribozymes

David B. McKay and Joseph E. Wedekind

12 The Role of Metal Ions in RNA Biochemistry

Andrew L. Feig and Olke C. Uhlenbeck

13 Building a Catalytic Active Site Using Only RNA

Thomas R. Cech and Barbara L. Golden

14 Ribonuclease P

Sidney Altman and Leif Kirsebom

15 The RNA Folding Problem

Peter B. Moore

TRANSITION TO THE RNP WORLD

16 RNA Interaction with Small Ligands and...