How Strong Is the Case for the RNA World?

The RNA World theory was proposed as a way to explain the origin of the DNA-RNA-Protein relationship found all current cells. It has been greatly strengthened by experimental work on ribozymes and non-enzymatic replication, and has become the most widely accepted theory for the origin of life. But how much do we really know? Within the science community there remain arguments that something else is required before RNA, or that we should not focus on RNA as a single central player. From outside, there are claims that scientists are clueless about the origin of life and that biological information can only be explained by intelligent design. Here, I review recent work showing the strength and coherence of the case for the RNA World. Science can clearly defeat the argument for intelligent design. There is substantial progress with experiments demonstrating many of the requirements for an RNA-first Origin of Life, but important issues remain to be understood.