Re: Paper on Thermosynthesis
- From: Tom Hendricks <tom-hendricks@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:44:35 -0500 (EST)
On Feb 25, 12:13 pm, "Perplexed in Peoria" <jimmene...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
"Tom Hendricks" <tom-hendri...@xxxxxxx> wrote in messagenews:fpsfe4$9bm$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Here's a paper that stresses a heat cycle component.
Thermosynthesis as energy source for the RNA World:
A model for the bioenergetics of the origin of life
Anthonie W.J. Muller *
Department of Geology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
99164-2812, USA
Received 10 May 2005; received in revised form 10 June 2005; accepted
10 June 2005
Abstract
The thermosynthesis concept, biological free energy gain from thermal
cycling, is combined with the concept of the RNA
World....
Keywords: Binding change mechanism; Bioenergetics; Genetic code;
Origin of life; RNA World; Thermosynthesis
1. Introduction
The three types of energy sources used by today's
organisms, fermentation, photosynthesis and respi-
ration, are all complex and require many proteins.
As a result none of these energy sources have been
linked directly to the origin of life. A fourth energy
source, 'thermosynthesis,' free energy gain from ther-
mal cycling, is much simpler, and has therefore been
put forward in a theoretical model for the emergence
of the chemiosmotic machinery used by both photo-
synthesis and respiration (Muller, 1985, 1993, 1995,
1996, 2003).
(Does anyone know about Muller's work?)
Anthonie Muller has posted here several times over the
last decade or so (during the period when you (Tom) and
I have been active). His ideas (if I understand them) are
that a molecule (think of an enzyme) can extract useable
free energy from the environment if it is subjected to a
rather rapid thermal cycle. Unlike your ideas, which
assume a cycle once a day or so, Muller thinks that
the relevant cycles were more like once a minute or
so. You get a thermal cycle this fast if you are a molecule
which is circulating in a convection cell.
My own opinion is that this is would be an interesting
possible source of phosphorylation energy for a simple
protean organism, but it cannot explain the origin of that
organism. The kinds of enzyme-like molecules that would
be capable of tapping this kind of energy source could
only arise by natural selection - they could not preceed
natural selection.
The postulated molecular heat engines
produced the same ATP as contemporary ATP syn-
thase, but with much less power (energy produced per
unit time) because the enzyme turnover time equaled
the long thermal cycle time of a convection cell...
Yep. Notice, by the way, that modern ATP synthase
doesn't require any kind of environmental cycle - all
it needs is a concentration, voltage, or pH gradient.
And it sure seems to me that such things are a lot
easier to find than cycles. And just as easy to use.
Life can arise in a steady-state situation - it just doesn't
need cycles.
Sure it does. If not for cycles it heats up till it's destroyed.
It cools down till it's inactive. Or it stays the same with
no variety to select from.
Obviously we need the big cycle of the sun, or we'd have
to do without water that's kept in the 0-100C range.
You, I think are suggesting that
some pop and adapt subset of that overall cycle would do it.
What I am now calling fluke squared event.
.
- References:
- Paper on Thermosynthesis
- From: Tom Hendricks
- Re: Paper on Thermosynthesis
- From: Perplexed in Peoria
- Paper on Thermosynthesis
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