Search results for "Origin of Life"
showing 6 items of 16 documents
Controversies on the origin of life
2005
Different viewpoints, many with deep philosophical and historical roots, have shaped the scientific study of the origin of life. Some of these argue that primeval life was based on simple anaerobic microorganisms able to use a wide inventory of abiotic organic materials (i.e. a heterotrophic origin), whereas others invoke a more sophisticated organization, one that thrived on simple inorganic molecules (i.e. an autotrophic origin). While many scientists assume that life started as a self-replicative molecule, the first gene, a primitive self-catalytic metabolic network has also been proposed as a starting point. Even the emergence of the cell itself is a contentious issue: did boundaries an…
Role of clays in protecting adsorbed DNA against X-ray radiation
2004
The X-ray emission of the young Sun was much harder and intense than today and might have played a significant role in the evolution of complex organics in protoplanetary environments. We investigate the effects of soft X-rays on tryptophan molecules in aqueous solutions at room temperature. As results of the irradiation experiments we detect several light species indicative of fragmentation, together with large molecular structures such as tryptophan dipeptide and tripeptide. Complexification is more evident in H2O solution than in D2O, probably due to isotopic effects. The abundances of peptides depend on the irradiation dose and decrease with increasing energy deposition. Radicals such a…
Charles Darwin and the Origin of Life
2009
When Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species 150 years ago he consciously avoided discussing the origin of life. However, analysis of some other texts written by Darwin, and of the correspondence he exchanged with friends and colleagues demonstrates that he took for granted the possibility of a natural emergence of the first life forms. As shown by notes from the pages he excised from his private notebooks, as early as 1837 Darwin was convinced that “the intimate relation of Life with laws of chemical combination, & the universality of latter render spontaneous generation not improbable”. Like many of his contemporaries, Darwin rejected the idea that putrefaction of preexisting organ…
The young hard active Sun: soft X-ray irradiation of tryptophan in water solutions
2010
AbstractThe X-ray emission of the young Sun was much harder and intense than today and might have played a significant role in the evolution of complex organics in protoplanetary environments. We investigate the effects of soft X-rays on tryptophan molecules in aqueous solutions at room temperature. As results of the irradiation experiments we detect several light species indicative of fragmentation, together with large molecular structures such as tryptophan dipeptide and tripeptide. Complexification is more evident in H2O solution than in D2O, probably due to isotopic effects. The abundances of peptides depend on the irradiation dose and decrease with increasing energy deposition. Radical…
Prebiotic polypeptides and the origin of biological information.
1983
Recent data on the origin of biological information are reviewed. These data corroborate the view that polyamino acids were the first informational polymers. The source of information is seen in the chemical reactivity of amino acids, their prebiotic abundance and the prebiotic environment. Evidence is presented in favor of Matsuno's protohypercycle that may have preceded Eigen's hypercycle, but that involves a translation of information from polypeptides into that of polynucleotides.
Profiling microbial communities in hyperalkaline waters of the Kizildag ophiolite complex (Turkey).
2016
It has recently been hypothesized that life on Earth could have been originated in hyperalkaline waters related to serpentinization of ophiolitic rocks, despite their extreme conditions (high pH and very low levels of nutrients). Five hyperalkaline springs of the Kizildag ophiolite complex (Turkey) were characterized. The dominant gases are either H2, CH4 or N2 . Bacterial diversity, analysed by RISA (Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis) revealed different profles for each spring. Sequencing of excised DNA bands allowed to identify the presence of Bacillus, Ralstonia, Pseudoalteromonas., Ureibacillus, Alicycliphilus, Anaerococcus. 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing by Illumina is in progress. Th…