Step 1: Background.
Thomas Cech and his colleagues discovered that RNA can act as a catalyst, showing self-splicing ability. This led to the concept of ribozymes.
Step 2: Experimental Organism.
This phenomenon was observed in the protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila, where an intron in the rRNA gene could remove itself without proteins.
Step 3: Conclusion.
Hence, RNA self-splicing was discovered in Tetrahymena thermophila.