The climate change deniers are gonna love this. CO2 from soil.
What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
71–80 of 120 posts
Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
#72It's been speculated for at least a decade now that geochemistry spawned biochemistry and life as we know it. This appears to be the latest instance of this pattern. One of the most notable examples is geothermal processes simply creating calm energy gradients that are stable for billions of years (e.g., underwater alkaline vents), which can then essentially "manufacture" organic compounds, which naturally assemble i…
As Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't always says... botany is just applied geology, so it probably isn't a big stretch to extend that to the underlying chemistry.
Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
#73It's been speculated for at least a decade now that geochemistry spawned biochemistry and life as we know it. This appears to be the latest instance of this pattern. One of the most notable examples is geothermal processes simply creating calm energy gradients that are stable for billions of years (e.g., underwater alkaline vents), which can then essentially "manufacture" organic compounds, which naturally assemble i…
Yet, there is only one form of life on earth exhibiting cellular metabolism and DNA/RNA replication. That original life form formed as soon as the earth became suitable for life. In the 3+ billion years since, there has been no new life form created that we know of despite the ongoing unfathomable computations.
Any "new life" has 0 chance in the crowded, highly competitive ecosystem.
Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
Amino acids are much more likely to be involved in the appearance of life anywhere than other molecules. For instance it would be much less surprising if an alien life form used another kind of polymer to store information, instead of nucleic acids, than if it would not use amino acids. The fact that on Earth the living beings eventually used ATP and RNA appears to have been determined in great part by chance, while…
> The fact that on Earth the living beings eventually used ATP and RNA appears to have been determined in great part by chance, while the use of amino acids seems to have been much more deterministic. It looks like on Earth the RNA was the initial replicant. RNA can be folded into complex shapes and can have catalytic properties in itself. Ribosomes that assemble proteins have RNA at the active site with proteins onl…
There is no contradiction: simple amino acids as a basic building block being coopted by replicating RNA to build more sophisticated structures.
You can conceive other than nuclear-acids based replicant, using the same ubiquitous amino-acids to build a protein life not using RNA/DNA but some other encoding structure.
The question is what is the chemically most likely 'other'? Also, what could be alternatives for ATP/sugars?
Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yet, there is only one form of life on earth exhibiting cellular metabolism and DNA/RNA replication. That original life form formed as soon as the earth became suitable for life. In the 3+ billion years since, there has been no new life form created that we know of despite the ongoing unfathomable computations.
Any "new life" has 0 chance in the crowded, highly competitive ecosystem.
[deleted]
Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
#76What if life was born under the surface?
Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
#77AFIAK only Hydrofluorocarbons detection would be considered a unambiguous signal of life, and those require technology.
Life very much seems to be a natural process, largely un-distinguishable from other natural processes. Detection will come from Preponderance of evidence rather than a silver-bullet.
Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
#78What if life was born under the surface?
Well, as far as I understand it's pretty much a given that it happened underwater or underground, to protect against cosmic radiation and other harsh conditions averse to lifeg so that's not really a "what if" unless you meant something else than I think you did.
Mind you, "soil" as we know it did not exist before life was there to create it. Geology as it exists on Earth does not exist on lifeless planets.
Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
#79It's been speculated for at least a decade now that geochemistry spawned biochemistry and life as we know it. This appears to be the latest instance of this pattern. One of the most notable examples is geothermal processes simply creating calm energy gradients that are stable for billions of years (e.g., underwater alkaline vents), which can then essentially "manufacture" organic compounds, which naturally assemble i…
Search for what though? On the face of it, life might also just be some eddies in the stream of energy flowing downhill, so to speak.
Life isn't eddies, it is deepening the stream to paddle the boat.
We are entropy engines hastening the flow. For each bit of temporary order, we make two of disorder at the same time.
Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology
#80[flagged]