Re: The first fragile life-molecules

On Feb 10, 1:21 pm, "Keith Hudson" <keithhud...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I wonder whether the OOL experts in this group would care to comment
on a speculation of mine. This is that the very first molecule capable
of self-generation would have been vulnerable to thermal buffeting
from the moment of formation. In any environment on earth I cannot see
how it would not be torn apart within a nanosecond.
I am not an Origin of Life Expert, but I know some chemistry.
An thermal buffering does not have to destroy a molecule, even the
molecule of a living thing, in a nanosecond. If you dissolve a packet
of sugar in water, the sugar molecules will last hours. When they are
destroyed, it will probably be because some living thing (a yeast or
bacterium?) has managed to metabolize it. The prebiotic environment by
definition would be empty of living things, including bacteria and
yeast. Therefore, many molecules that would be considered fragile in
our current environment would be able to last a fairly long time in
the prebiotic environment.

It seems to me therefore that the first molecule must have formed in
space. There, relatively free from gross mechanical disruption it
would have the time to bulk itself upwards by adding further chemical
groups...
However, the first biomolecule if formed in space would have the
problem of not being near any chemical groups. Therefore, it would
have a hard time bulking itself up with chemical groups. It would have
to wait around a very long time before anything came around that it
could use. During that time, it is subject to loads of threats some of
which wouldn't be on earth.
Two unearthly threats to the space biomolecule:
1) Cosmic rays: rapidly moving protons and other nucleii that would
shatter the delicate biomolecule.
2) Slow moving atoms such as hydrogen: Highly corrosive and the most
common materials in the universe.

I go for theories where the biomolecule is adsorbed to a surface.
The surface would stablize the biomolecule, and act as a trap for
chemical groups. Furthermore, the surface should be close to a region
where high and low temperatures mix. Only temperature gradients can
generate the chemical groups the biomolecule would need to "bulk up."
I think that that is what the conventional wisdom is saying right now.
However, I am NOT an OOL expert.


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: The first fragile life-molecules
    ... I am not an Origin of Life Expert, but I know some chemistry. ... An thermal buffering does not have to destroy a molecule, ... the first biomolecule if formed in space would have the ... have a hard time bulking itself up with chemical groups. ...
    (sci.bio.evolution)
  • Re: The first fragile life-molecules
    ... I am not an Origin of Life Expert, but I know some chemistry. ... An thermal buffering does not have to destroy a molecule, ... the first biomolecule if formed in space would have the ... have a hard time bulking itself up with chemical groups. ...
    (sci.bio.evolution)
  • Re: The first fragile life-molecules
    ... I am not an Origin of Life Expert, but I know some chemistry. ... An thermal buffering does not have to destroy a molecule, ... the first biomolecule if formed in space would have the ... have a hard time bulking itself up with chemical groups. ...
    (sci.bio.evolution)