Development

A 45-nucleotide polymerase self-replicates in ice

development2026-02-17

Claim

Researchers discovered the first small polymerase, just 45 nucleotides, capable of self-replication in mildly alkaline eutectic ice, shedding light on the origin of life.

Reported metric: 45 nucleotides

Reporting date: 2026-02-17 (not necessarily the event date)

Sources

Attribution and reporting linked by this record; links do not imply independent verification.

Welcome to February 17, 2026 (theinnermostloop.substack.com)

Knowledge graphopen in browser →

Reported in

Welcome to February 17, 2026

Evidence for

Referenced by

Welcome to February 17, 2026

Cite or correct this record

Citation formatCitation text

A 45-nucleotide polymerase self-replicates in ice
Innermost Loop KB — secondary record
Reporting date: 2026-02-17
KB permalink: https://nicholsn.github.io/innermost-loop-kb/developments/2026-02-17-45-nucleotide-self-replicator
Claim: Researchers discovered the first small polymerase, just 45 nucleotides, capable of self-replication in mildly alkaline eutectic ice, shedding light on the origin of life.
Attributed sources:
- Welcome to February 17, 2026 — https://theinnermostloop.substack.com/p/welcome-to-february-17-2026
This citation does not imply independent verification of linked-source claims.

Suggest a correction — opens a GitHub draft for you to review and submit.