chefranden Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 "The DNA Code" - New Research Shows Life Hardwired in the Universe A recent mathematical analysis says that life as we know it is written into the laws of reality. DNA is built from a set of twenty amino acids - the first ten of those can create simple prebiotic life, and now it seems that those ten are thermodynamically destined to occur wherever they can. For those unfamiliar with thermodynamics, it's the Big Brother of all energy equations and science itself. You can apply quantum mechanics at certain scales, and Newtonian mechanics work at the right speeds, but if Thermodynamics says something then everyone listens. An energy analysis by Professors Pudritz and Higgs of McMaster University shows that the first ten amino acids are likely to form at relatively low temperatures and pressures, and the calculated odds of formation match the concentrations of these life-chemicals found in meteorite samples. They also match those in simulations of early Earth, and most critically, those simulations were performed by other people. The implications are staggering: good news for anyone worried about how we're alone, and bad news for anyone who demands some kind of "Designer" to put life together - it seems that physics can assemble the organic jigsaw all by itself, thank you very much, and has probably done so throughout space since the beginning of everything. The study indicates that you don't need a miracle to arrive at the chemical cocktail for early life, just a decently large asteroid with the right components. That's all. The entire universe could be stuffed with life, from the earliest prebiotic protein-a-likes to fully DNAed descendants. The path from one to the other is long, but we've had thirteen and a half billion years so far and it's happened at least once. The other ten amino acids aren't as easy to form, but they'll still turn up - and the process of "stepwise evolution" means that once the simpler systems work, they can grab the rarer "epic drops" of more sophisticated chemicals as they occur - kind of a World of Lifecraft except you literally get a life when you play. And once even the most sophisticated structure is part of a replicating organism, there's plenty to go round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddbird1963 Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Very interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest end3 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Got to love unbiased reporting.....and democrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Got to love unbiased reporting.....and democrats. Yes you're right. Math and liberals, two things God hates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 If true then the universe must be literally teaming with life. Wish I could live long enough to see the day where we have the tech to meet some of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight-mindwanderings Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I absolutely love the WoW reference by the way. Excellent. This is really interesting I will have to look into it in more detail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagan Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Interesting stuff. Think it's biased? It's a blog, whaddaya want? Fine, go read the abstract then. Or if you're too lazy to click the link here's the abstract text. Note the bold. A thermodynamic basis for prebiotic amino acid synthesis and the nature of the first genetic code Paul G. Higgs, Ralph E. Pudritz (Submitted on 2 Apr 2009) Of the twenty amino acids used in proteins, ten were formed in Miller's atmospheric discharge experiments. The two other major proposed sources of prebiotic amino acid synthesis include formation in hydrothermal vents and delivery to Earth via meteorites. We combine observational and experimental data of amino acid frequencies formed by these diverse mechanisms and show that, regardless of the source, these ten early amino acids can be ranked in order of decreasing abundance in prebiotic contexts. This order can be predicted by thermodynamics. The relative abundances of the early amino acids were most likely reflected in the composition of the first proteins at the time the genetic code originated. The remaining amino acids were incorporated into proteins after pathways for their biochemical synthesis evolved. This is consistent with theories of the evolution of the genetic code by stepwise addition of new amino acids. These are hints that key aspects of early biochemistry may be universal. Comments: 16 pages, 2 tables, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrobiology Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR); Biomolecules (q-bio.BM) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Got to love unbiased reporting.....and democrats. I agree. It's not like you ever find anything biased in xtian writings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Fine, go read the abstract then. Oh, those biased liberal scientists, using the faulty principles of mathematics and evidence. No, the truth lies in reading old books and believing in magical beings. That's real honesty. This research doesn't surprise me though, because it is logical that the Universe must contain the mechanics for life to come about, otherwise life wouldn't have come about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhoof Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Great post Chef. This goes directly to the Abiogenesis thread from a few weeks ago. (lots of changes since I was last here LOL) This research doesn't surprise me though, because it is logical that the Universe must contain the mechanics for life to come about, otherwise life wouldn't have come about. True. We've know for quite some time that "we are the stuff of stars". Our molecules can be found all across the galaxy. @ Vigile: I don't know about "teeming" with life, but it would be extremely small minded to think we're all alone. Amino acids are just the building blocks. There's still a lot of other criteria that need to be met... such as, The "sweet spot". That narrow band around a sun where temperatures would hold a planet at the right levels for life that we're familiar with. The right combo of molecular material. Though this goes directly to a conversation with Legion. "What are we calling LIFE"? "Life" could be something so totally alien that, concievably, we wouldn't know it if we saw it. Regardless, the info in the link shows that carbon based life - living, breathing creatures - is a very real PROBABILITY. Very inspiring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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