Scientists on their way to creating life

[silentstriker]

This is awesome

They've created RNA that can replicate itself indefinitely, and with replication, also comes evolution, and they've already seen evidence of the most fit RNA molecules taking over the petri dish. It's not quite life yet, but its close and it's getting there. We've been close for a while so this isn't groundbreaking in theory, but being able to actually accomplish it in practice is HUGE.

RNA is huge because it is theorized that all life started out as RNA (RNA World hypothesis). RNA is an interesting molecule because it is capable of acting both as a carrier of genetic information, and as catalysts for chemical reactions (e.g, enzymes). In our bodies, DNA generally stores our genetic information, and proteins do the work, with RNA as a mediator in between. DNA is generally found as a double helix, while RNA can form double helix, it is frequently just a single strand, and it can manipulate itself into different three dimensional structures, giving it different functions like a protein has (a protein's function is determined by its three dimensional structure).

[cpr]

Could read the article, could start interesting debate on it.

Taking the easy route and taking the michael about geeky scientists and the lengths they will go to to get laid...

[alternative]

Read somethins similar few days ago from an article in Science direct, might link you that article soon.

[andruid]

I thought some nerds had worked out away of getting laid

[sirdj]

Thats all good, but can they invent a white cricket ball that does not lose colour?? Now that would be real science.

[Athlai]

Originally Posted by andruid

I thought some nerds had worked out away of getting laid

[Smudge]

Pardon my negativity, but what on earth is the point of scientists finding alternative ways to create life? In fact, call me callous, but I often wonder what the point is in finding a cure for terminal diseases - the world, as it is, is massively overcrowded in many parts.

As more and more cures are found - and now this - people are living longer, further exacerbating the issue of overcrowding, and the planet struggling to cope with the continued influx of humans and the waste they create.

Just a thought.

[Matt79]

Originally Posted by andruid

I thought some nerds had worked out away of getting laid

haha - exactly what I was going to suggest.

[silentstriker]

Originally Posted by Voltman

I often wonder what the point is in finding a cure for terminal diseases - the world, as it is, is massively overcrowded in many parts.

I think you'll find that the more industrialized a country gets, in terms of healthcare and everything else, the less children people tend to have. The most overcrowded countries are not where people have cures for everything.

Originally Posted by Voltman

Pardon my negativity, but what on earth is the point of scientists finding alternative ways to create life?

You can learn a lot about life by doing it.

[G.I.Joe]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

You can learn a lot about life by doing it.

Exactly. But the scientists will still need to get out of the laboratory to do 'it'.

[silentstriker]

More on this:

In the experiment, reported in Science [subscription required], Joyce and his graduate student Tracey Lincoln set out to test the RNA World hypothesis. They created pairs of enzymes that can only reproduce with each other’s help, and set them swimming in a pool of RNA fragments that the enzymes could use to build new strands. The enzymes got busy replicating, but sometimes an enzyme would make a mistake as it assembled a strand and a “mutation” would arise.

Most of these mutations went away quickly, but — sound familiar? — some of the changes ended up being advantageous to the chemicals in replicating better. After 77 doublings of the chemicals, astounding changes had occurred in the molecular broth. “All the original replicators went extinct and it was the new recombinants that took over,” said Joyce. “There wasn’t one winner. There was a whole cloud of winners, but there were three mutants that arose that pretty much dominated the population” [Wired News]. But experts say this experiment doesn’t settle the question on the origin of life on Earth, as some unknown type of self-replicating molecule must have preceded the RNA strands.

Cool stuff.

[cpr]

Originally Posted by Matt79

haha - exactly what I was going to suggest.

Did you read the very first reply and seen it'd already been done too

[Matt79]

No one likes a show off CPR...

[andyc]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

More on this:



Cool stuff.

Amazing stuff, very cool indeed.