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FFT
Emperor of the Galaxy
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 5844
Location: Memphis
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 Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:00 am Post subject: On Feasibility of Abiogenesis |
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Found this practically by accident when searching PubMed for "evolution" for giggles (there were 180943 hits). It was published yesterday (the 22nd).
"Towards synthesis of a minimal cell" in Molecular Systems Biology, an online journal.
Here's the abstract (beware, big words ahead):
| Quote: | | Construction of a chemical system capable of replication and evolution, fed only by small molecule nutrients, is now conceivable. This could be achieved by stepwise integration of decades of work on the reconstitution of DNA, RNA and protein syntheses from pure components. Such a minimal cell project would initially define the components sufficient for each subsystem, allow detailed kinetic analyses and lead to improved in vitro methods for synthesis of biopolymers, therapeutics and biosensors. Completion would yield a functionally and structurally understood self-replicating biosystem. Safety concerns for synthetic life will be alleviated by extreme dependence on elaborate laboratory reagents and conditions for viability. Our proposed minimal genome is 113 kbp long and contains 151 genes. We detail building blocks already in place and major hurdles to overcome for completion. |
It's not a step by step for abiogenesis so much as an in-depth diagnosis for what steps need to be taken before scientists can formulate the actual step by step.
Worth a read if you can. |
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 6772
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:23 am Post subject: |
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I REALLY encourage everyone here to watch Episode 4 of ScienceNow. The torrent is right here.
It gives a great little overview of discoveries made by scientists which are highly relevant to abiogenesis. |
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FFT
Emperor of the Galaxy
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 5844
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:36 am Post subject: |
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You should probably include a link to µTorrent with all these torrent links you've been posting, I don't imagine most people here know what bittorrent is.  |
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 6772
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:43 am Post subject: |
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| FFT wrote: | | You should probably include a link to µTorrent with all these torrent links you've been posting, I don't imagine most people here know what bittorrent is. |
It looks like you beat me to it! Incidentally, are we sure that it has no spyware in it?
For all those interested, bittorrent is a way of QUICKLY downloading files from the internet. You install a client such as µTorrent, and then you click on the torrent that I posted. The client will then download the video file, which you can then watch. |
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FFT
Emperor of the Galaxy
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 5844
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:53 am Post subject: |
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| uTorrent's clean. It's basically Azureus done right (no Java). |
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 6772
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 5:59 am Post subject: |
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| FFT wrote: | | uTorrent's clean. It's basically Azureus done right (no Java). |
Cool; thanks! |
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Trinity1
Emperor of the World
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 3111
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:37 am Post subject: |
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| I'm wondering... how is RNA formed here? |
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FFT
Emperor of the Galaxy
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 5844
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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They cite this paper.
Again, it's not a recipe, it's more of a shopping list. |
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Trinity1
Emperor of the World
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 3111
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| Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| Isn't RNA produced by DNA? |
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FFT
Emperor of the Galaxy
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 5844
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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| It is now, but hasn't always necessarily. |
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Trinity1
Emperor of the World
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 3111
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| Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:33 am Post subject: |
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| FFT wrote: | | It is now, but hasn't always necessarily. |
No? Then what was the initial mechanism that formed it? If 'science' (All of our observations) tells us that DNA forms RNA... then how can we get RNA without DNA? What mechanism removes the necessity of DNA? |
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FFT
Emperor of the Galaxy
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 5844
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 8:21 am Post subject: |
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| RNA is simpler than DNA and can duplicate itself. |
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Trinity1
Emperor of the World
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 3111
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| Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:02 am Post subject: |
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| FFT wrote: | | RNA is simpler than DNA and can duplicate itself. |
RNA can duplicate itself? Are you sure about this? Here are a few quotes from THIS article:
| Quote: | | This scenario could have occurred, we noted, if prebiotic RNA had two properties not evident today: a capacity to replicate without the help of proteins and an ability to catalyze every step of protein synthesis. |
and this is pretty absolute:
| Quote: | | So far no RNA molecules that direct the replication of other RNA molecules have been identified in nature. |
Am out to lunch on this one? Can they replicate themselves or not? |
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FFT
Emperor of the Galaxy
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 5844
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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| What about what you just quoted says that RNA can not replicate itself, exactly? |
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Trinity1
Emperor of the World
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 3111
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| Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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| FFT wrote: | | What about what you just quoted says that RNA can not replicate itself, exactly? |
You mean... other than the fact that we haven't seen it happening? That?
 Um...didn't you state:
| FFT wrote: | | RNA is simpler than DNA and can duplicate itself. |
So, if that is a fact, and RNA can duplicate itself, where do we see this happening? You are the one who said it can happen... I'm just asking for another one of those pesky little citiations demonstrating as much. Or is this going to end up like the Carbonifrous thread where we get to make assertions without evidence? |
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