The discovery of ____ suggested that nucleic acids likely existed prior to proteins.

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Ribozymes are RNA molecules that have the ability to catalyze specific biochemical reactions, similar to the action of protein enzymes. The discovery of ribozymes provided strong evidence for the RNA world hypothesis, which suggests that RNA molecules were likely the first self-replicating entities and could perform the catalytic activities necessary for life before the evolution of proteins.

The Discovery of ____ Suggested That Nucleic Acids Likely Existed