Genome Chapter 1 Summary- Life

In this chapter the author refers the word as RNA, not DNA. DNA is an analogous to written languages and its own alphabet. Then the history of life is talked about starting with RNA because it became before DNA. RNA is is unstable so it was possible for it to come up with DNA through a trial and error process because RNA was faster, more accurate, and more reliable. Then LUCA is introduced as a bacterium living in a hot marine environment, but is now more of a protozoan because bacteria would have had to drop the extra RNA in order to reproduce more quickly. The history of life is basically written in the genome.

Source: http://tchefty.edublogs.org/files/2011/06/DNA-versus-RNA-1zyhmjx.gif