after a UV-irradiation, the self-cleavage activity of the montmorillonite-adsorbed
ribozyme molecules was three times higher compared to that of the molecules irradiated
in the absence of montmorillonite [168]. With ZnS crystals, the excitation
transfer from adsorbed dye molecules to a template has been shown to proceed
within picoseconds [169], i.e. much faster than the typical intrinsic characteristic
time of photodestruction (e.g. ~20 μs for adenosine monophosphate [170]).
Hence, in the evolutionary context, the first photostable RNA-like polymers had
better survival chances at the surfaces of those minerals that could efficiently absorb
the radiation energy.