Mineral surfaces select for longer RNA molecules Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Materials and methods, full details of mathematical models, Fig. S1-S7. See DOI: 10.1039/c8cc10319d

We report empirically and theoretically that multiple prebiotic minerals can selectively accumulate longer RNAs, with selectivity enhanced at higher temperatures. We further demonstrate that surfaces can be combined with a catalytic RNA to form longer RNA polymers, supporting the potential of minerals to develop genetic information on the early Earth.