http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/evolution/first-metabolic-processes-detected-outside-of-cells/
Precis: A graduate student at the University of Cambridge accidentally discovered the first evidence of metabolism occurring outside a cell. To test the processes that could have helped spark life on Earth, students in the Earth sciences department who had been working on reconstructing the chemistry of the Archean Ocean, which covered the planet almost 4 billion years ago helped develop some experiments. The environment of the Archean Ocean was an oxygen-free world, predating photosynthesis, when the waters were rich in iron, as well as other metals and phosphate. All these substances could potentially facilitate chemical reactions like the ones seen in modern cells. Most astounding was the detection of ribose 5-phosphate, a precursor to RNA. RNA is DNA’s single-stranded cousin—it encodes information, can replicate, and helps jumpstart chemical reactions. This finding suggests that oceanic metabolic processes could have, over time, engendered the conditions necessary for RNA precursors to appear.
Baby Jesus wept.