RNA Was Never Alone? A Historical and Quantitative Reassessment of the RNA World Hypothesis(Estimated Calculating Simulation)

The RNA World Hypothesis (RWH) has dominated origin-of-life research for nearly four decades, proposing that life began with RNA acting simultaneously as genetic material and catalyst, preceding the emergence of DNA and proteins. In recent years, proponents have increasingly argued that RNA was never truly “alone,” invoking auxiliary roles for minerals, lipids, peptides, and energy carriers. This article critically reassesses whether such claims reflect the original content of the RNA World Hypothesis or constitute a post hoc reinterpretation driven by accumulating empirical and theoretical difficulties. Combining a historical analysis of foundational RWH literature with quantitative results from agent-based computational simulations, we show that (i) classical RWH explicitly posits RNA as the primary and sufficient initiator of biological evolution, (ii) RNA-only and ribosome-only systems exhibit catastrophic instability under realistic prebiotic conditions, and (iii) robust, evolvable protocells emerge only through synergistic interactions among RNA, DNA, energy carriers, catalysts, and compartmentalization. We conclude that modern “RNA-plus” narratives no longer support a genuine RNA World, but instead converge on a fundamentally different framework—here referred to as the Matter World Hypothesis (MWH)—in which no single molecule is privileged as the originator of life.