Question

Which scientist discovered that an intron in Tetrahymena thermophila could splice itself out of RNA without any protein assistance?

Options

• Walter Gilbert

• Alexander Rich

• Thomas Cech

• Sidney Altman

Answer 1

Thomas Cech discovered in 1982 that an intron in Tetrahymena thermophila could splice itself out of RNA without any protein, demonstrating self-catalytic RNA and earning him the Nobel Prize in 1989 for this revolutionary finding.