> but RNA is fragile

Early on that may have been a feature though, isn't it?

What strikes me as the most interesting thing about life is that almost immediately (on geological time scales) after Earth had developed an environment where life in theory could exist it came to be. That suggests strongly that the mechanism to do so was relatively simple. Then again, the Earth was a vast laboratory and it only has to happen once.

aside: you have the most interesting job!