Re: No Grace Period for Metabolism Either

From: Catherine Woodgold (an588_at_freenet.carleton.ca)
Date: 10/14/04 

Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 23:36:45 +0000 (UTC)

Erwin Moller (since_humans_read_this_I_am_spammed_too_much@spamyourself.com) writes:
> I expect that the spot where this first happened had a good environment with
> energy in the 'right' form available to the first replicating molecules.
>
> eg: a popular energycarrier nowadays in our cells is ATP.
> When it looses a Phosphate (ATP--> ADP) energy is available.
> I expect that on the spot where the first replicating molecules where
> forming, the environment contained similar energy-rich molecules.
> Most probably NOT ATP of course, but just energyrich molecules ready to
> react and making their energy available to the first replicating molecules.

Good hypothesis. So, in a sense, there WAS a grace period.

Here's another sense in which there was a grace period:
If life were to emerge today, it would probably be quickly gobbled
up or destroyed by the already existing, more complex life.
Or, it would have no resources to use because those are
already being used up by existing, more fully adapted life.

So the grace period was the time when there wasn't enough
other life around to destroy or starve the newly emerging life.

Sort of.

And in a way that's the same as what you're saying. Back then,
before life, there were supplies of energy-rich molecules.
Today, those would likely be being tapped by existing lifeforms,
and therefore not be available to newly emerging life. 

--
Cathy

Relevant Pages

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