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from the It's-the-end^W-beginning-of-the-world-as-we-know-it? dept.
Researchers have demonstrated that an enzyme-free metabolic pathway using sulfate radicals can mirror the Krebs cycle:
A set of biochemical processes crucial to cellular life on Earth could have originated in chemical reactions taking place on the early Earth four billion years ago, believes a group of scientists from the Francis Crick Institute and the University of Cambridge. The researchers have demonstrated a network of chemical reactions in the lab which mimic the important Krebs cycle present in living organisms today. In a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, they say it could explain an important step in how life developed on Earth.
[...] One central metabolic pathway learned by every A-level biology student is the Krebs cycle. But how did this essential set of chemical reactions, each step catalyzed by an enzyme, first arise? Each step in the cycle is not enough by itself. Life needs a sequence of these reactions, and it would have needed it before biological enzymes were around: Amino acids, the molecular components of enzymes, are made from products of the Krebs cycle.
The research group from the Francis Crick Institute and the University of Cambridge say their demonstration offers an answer. They have shown an enzyme-free metabolic pathway that mirrors the Krebs cycle. It is sparked by particles called sulphate radicals under conditions similar to those on Earth four billion years ago. Senior author Dr Markus Ralser of the Francis Crick Institute and University of Cambridge explains: "This non-enzymatic precursor of the Krebs cycle that we have demonstrated forms spontaneously, is biologically sensible and efficient. It could have helped ignite life four billion years ago."
Found at ScienceDaily.
Sulfate radicals enable a non-enzymatic Krebs cycle precursor (open, DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0083) (DX)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Wednesday March 15 2017, @04:18PM (1 child)
Hard to make a definite statement for a large group
I'd agree with that.
Logical minimalism is a mind cancer, an old toxic meme, and not suffering from it personally I have no data, but I imagine folks with a bad case of Simulation-itis or Solipsism or extreme religion/cult beliefs mostly are trying to justify some selfish behavior that most wouldn't like morally or ethically without that justification.
In the old days the Greeks just kicked out logical minimalist mind cancers. Fine, your point is smooth talking lies will get you further in court, we'll call that legal studies and kick it out of philosophy where it just gets in the way. Ditto "only my mind exists nothing else exists" and "brain in a vat" and "religion" and all kinds of other toxic beliefs that get in the way of philosophical study.
This kind of thing happens every time philosophy blunders into yet another mind cancer.
"We're not minds in a vat, thats so 70s Dennett, today we're merely minds in a simulation, which is like totally different unless the vat is also simulated"
"GTFO that mind cancer is a dead end. Back on task we're talking about something else like what does Kant mean by the categorical imperative? And one more word about simulations and so help me I swear ..."
(Score: 3, Funny) by Soylentbob on Wednesday March 15 2017, @05:54PM
And one more word about simulations and so help me I swear ...
This god-honest rage you is a real blessing. It's so realistic, I'd love to see the algorithms implementing it ;-)
Sorry, could not resist...