In article ,
Ben Burch wrote:
My concern here is what happens when you dump RNA and DNA into a
reducing soup containing amino acids at whatever temperature.
Sometimes, or so I understand, the RNA and DNA replicate even without
an enclosing cell...

DNA needs a complex set of supporting machinery to replicate. RNA can
replicate by itself, although somewhat imperfectly, given a supply of
bases. (Those are not amino acids; amino acids are what make up
*proteins*, not nucleic acids like RNA.)

However, RNA can and does appear spontaneously given a supply of bases.
If there are substantial supplies of suitable raw materials sloshing
around on Titan, then there will already be RNA present... and it will be
evolved to suit conditions (yes, RNA can evolve, in simple ways) much
better than any random Earth RNA would be.

This could actually make a global change to the
chemistry of Titan, if it could occur under those conditions. Proteins
can sometimes self-replicate, too. This could cause a sort of
molecular evolution to begin there...

Again, if suitable conditions exist, then almost certainly they have
existed for long enough for such a development to start spontaneously.
--
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer
-- George Herbert |