Hammerhead viroids pull proteins?

[Inferno]

I'm currently trying to understand a specific sentence in the following article:

Organism Sets Mutation Speed Record, May Explain Life's Origins[/url]"]At the time, hypothesize scientists, the pinnacle of life was the RNA replicon: a chunk of ribonucleic acid that didn't copy itself by making proteins, as DNA does, but instead pulled them from the primordial ooze.

What exactly do they mean? By the way, this seems to be the original paper.

My understanding of this is basically zilch, but I'll try to explain what I think is the answer, then at least I'll know where I went wrong when you correct me.

Show More Hide

{TEXT}

Any answers are much appreciated.


PS: On a completely unrelated note, does anyone have access to this paper? Hint: My Inbox likes PDF.

 

[Inferno]

Bump. I can't believe that nobody has an answer!

 

[Neanderthal]

LOL. I tried, but this is certainly not my field and I could not even convince myself of my first thought reading your "sentence". My first thought was the picture of early RNA, doing backstrokes in a sticky pond of biological material. Not able to produce proteins himself but using what he finds in the pond...