Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology

quantamagazine.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 120 posts

Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology

#51

Post by jfarlow »

AareyBaba wrote: post #49
nilkn wrote: post #41

It'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.

Network effects + energetic fficiencies. On an energy landscape that includes integration over very short and very long lifetimes, the thalweg of utility/energy rests right about where the current codon optimizations are. And any schemes that deviate don't get to share in the others' bounty. Reusing your foods' effort saves a lot, metabolically.

Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology

#52

Post by matheusmoreira »

nilkn wrote: post #41

It'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…

I really like the way you think.

Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology

#55

Post by flir »

customguy wrote: post #50
nilkn wrote: post #41

It'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.

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's got something to do with laboratory mice.

Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology

#56

Post by JumpCrisscross »

culi wrote: post #45
greenbit wrote: post #10

This is great, if you have significant amounts of free oxygen to work with, which early earth evidently did not. Would be interesting to see if anaerobic metabolism could also occur without cellular confinement.

The leading theories for the origins of chemical evolution (abiogenesis) actually focus on deep-sea hydrothermal, alkaline vents

> leading theories for the origins of chemical evolution (abiogenesis) actually focus on deep-sea hydrothermal, alkaline vents

I thought the leading contenders were currently in tide pools?

Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology

#57

Post by metalman »

soil is a biological construct and only occurs on Earth, the regolith on other planets will not support life without major amendments and modifications. there are orders of magnitude more types of minerals on earth that found in any sample from an extra terestrial source, and while not proven conclusivly there is strong evidence that the bulk of earthly minerals, have biological origins in there creation. what is not disputed is that the entire top 10km or so of our planet has biological components and biological modifications, 3 billion years will do.that to a world, the point bieng, is that extraterestrial regolith would be the substance to use in substantiating the premise under consideration, but was not.

Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology

#58

Post by stymaar »

gamblor956 wrote: post #36
stymaar wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can, that's the reason why UHT milk has a relatively short shelf lifespan and degrades despite being devoid of living microorganisms. The enzymes keep doing their work long after the cell membrane is gone.

You might be thinking of something else. UHT has a very long shelf life compared to other forms of liquid milk.

Compared to other forms forms of liquid milk indeed, but it has a rather short shelf life compared to most sterile food. (Imagine if canned meat or fish had the same shelf life than UHT milk…)

Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology

#59

Post by ceejayoz »

AareyBaba wrote: post #49
nilkn wrote: post #41

It'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.

Well, yeah. Starting from absolute scratch is a lot harder than adapting something that already exists to new conditions.

Re: What appear to be biochemical processes may be a natural feature of geology

#60

Post by dtgriscom »

customguy wrote: post #50
nilkn wrote: post #41

It'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.

> eddies in the stream of energy flowing downhill

"Ah... is he. Is he."

Post reply on HN