# Which came first? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2002, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-came-first/120813 "2002-07-25T19:32:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-came-first/120813/1 "2002-07-25T19:32:53Z")
Which came first, DNA or the proteins needed by DNA–which can only be produced by DNA? ---
**Author:** ![mandielise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@mandielise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandielise)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-came-first/120813/2 "2002-07-25T20:00:58Z")
I’m not a biologist, and I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure there are other ways of creating proteins. Yes, I understand how DNA and RNA are created in our bodies, but there are smaller eukaryotic lifeforms who probably do things much differently from us. BTW, I’ve noticed your series of posts - are you trying to figure stuff out, or are you trying to disprove evolution? (just curious) ---
**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-came-first/120813/3 "2002-07-25T20:04:24Z")
My line of questions are just for my own enlightenment and all the other readers of this MB. I am really curious and I guess that I would like to try to see things I don’t really understand a little bit more clearly than I do now. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-came-first/120813/4 "2002-07-25T20:30:16Z")
Probably self-replicating lipids, or maybe Osmium. Yeah, Osmium [Von Neumanns](http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/selfRepJBIS.html#vonNeumannArchitecture), that’s probably how it all got started. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-came-first/120813/5 "2002-07-25T20:33:12Z")
Being quite serious, These are deep subjects that require much background information and context in order to have even a basic understand of their depth. Instead of questing for one paragraph answers on an MB, why don’t you read a book, or better, several books? I wonder this a lot. I’m not targeting you: you just happen to be handy. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-came-first/120813/6 "2002-07-25T21:51:49Z")
I’m not targeting you, **Exapno** , but your post elicits two responses from me:[ol][li]What gave you the idea that the OP is “questing for one paragraph answers”? I’ve seen some very long, very detailed answers given on this message board, some of which dealt with very arcane subjects very knowingly. AndWhenever you go to the trouble to suggest that you have in-depth knowledge of “deep subjects that require much background and context in order to have even a basic” understanding, and especially when you then suggest that someone read up on the subject, it’s considered good manners to give them a reading list, even if it’s short. For all you know, that might be just what the OP would like to have.[/ol][/li]Please take these responses in the spirit of constructive criticism they are intended. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-came-first/120813/7 "2002-07-25T22:41:53Z")
I don’t want to make this into a debate, but just in quick reponse: I was not targeting **Insider** , as I made clear, so my post was a general comment. But he has indeed been getting what are basically one paragraph answers if you check his several threads. And he did indeed post several threads, all on hugely deep subjects, all on subjects that have been asked here many previous times, so I was giving a blanket response rather than specific reading lists. There are some things these boards are very good at. Some questions are not so appropriate because there is no way for the answers to give background and context. And then there are answers like **Squink’s**. Comments on them? But this is not a place for a debate on how either of us see the role of the SDMB. I will happily get out and let anyone who wants to answer his questions do so. ---
**Author:** ![JS\_Princeton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JS\_Princeton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JS_Princeton)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-came-first/120813/8 "2002-07-26T15:20:59Z")
The precursors to proteins (amino acids) are found without appealing to life at all. As far as we have seen, there is no such thing as abiological nucleic acid. Precursor sugars (ribose) and some of the precursors to base pairs have been observed in abiological contexts. There’s a nice astrobiological abiogenesis hypothesis making the circuit right now that RNA was the original precursor as it can funciton as both storer of information and enzyme. It’s versitility as a molecule certainly makes it an intriguing candidate. More research is necessary.