ArticleJournal of molecular evolution2026
Clay Minerals, Panacea or Parameter in RNA Oligomerization?
Article in Journal of molecular evolution, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Complex and Messy Prebiotic Chemistry: Obstacles and Opportunities for an RNA World.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Brave new RNA world(s): from prebiotic chemistry to gene regulation and RNA technology.Frontiers in genetics · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Since Bernal’s 1949 Guthrie Lecture, clays have been invoked as central actors in prebiotic chemistry experiments. Landmark experiments with montmorillonite (MMT) showed oligomerization of activated ribonucleotides in water, elevating clays to a putative universal solution for RNA assembly. Here, we argue that current evidence supports a more nuanced framing: clays should be considered explicit experimental variables, not passive or uniform catalysts, but tunable parameters whose effects depend on well-defined conditions. Mineral identity, activation state, solution chemistry, and cycling history jointly determine whether surfaces concentrate and organize RNA, assist condensation under specific regimes, or accelerate backbone hydrolysis. Early Earth plausibility also points beyond Na-MMT to Fe-rich smectites and silicate glasses. Adopting a “parameter, not panacea” framework improves reproducibility, invites direct tests across realistic mineral panels, and situates clays within a broader geochemical toolkit that includes wet-dry cycles and rock glasses.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41460485What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.