The term also refers to the hypothesis that posits the existence of this stage .
The RNA world is a hypothetical stage in the evolutionary history of life on Earth , in which self - replicating RNA molecules proliferated before the evolution of DNA and proteins .
The term also refers to the hypothesis that posits the existence of this stage .
The RNA world is a hypothetical stage in the evolutionary history of life on Earth , in which self - replicating RNA molecules proliferated before the evolution of DNA and proteins .