The passenger pigeon. The Tasmanian tiger. The Baiji, or Yangtze river dolphin. These rank among the best-known recent victims of what many scientists have declared the sixth mass extinction, as […]
evolution
Posted inBiophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Physical Constraints During Snowball Earth Drive The Evolution Of Multicellularity
Molecular and fossil evidence suggest that complex eukaryotic multicellularity evolved during the late Neoproterozoic era, coincident with Snowball Earth glaciations, where ice sheets covered most of the globe.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
New Genes Can Arise From Nothing
The complexity of living organisms is encoded within their genes, but where do these genes come from? Researchers at the University of Helsinki resolved outstanding questions around the origin of […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Connections Between Archaea And Eukarya
NASA-supported researchers have examined the order and organization of genes that code for ribosomal protein in a group of archaea known as Asgard. The study is helping scientists better understand […]
![Chain length distributions created by foldcats’ cooperativity. (Left, black) Typical polymerizations produce mostly short chains (shown as bin filling), following a Flory distribution [62, 90]. (Right, red) Foldcats produce more long chains for 2 reasons: (i) Foldcats catalyze elongation of other chains (k1 and k2), and (ii) Folded chains degrade more slowly because their folded cores are protected from solvent (k3). For analytical forms, see Appendix A. -- physics.bio-ph](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ThePrebioticEmergence.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
The Prebiotic Emergence Of Biological Evolution
The origin of life must have been preceded by Darwin-like evolutionary dynamics that could propagate it. How did that adaptive dynamics arise?
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release
ROP Signaling: Origin At Dawn Of Multicellular Plant Life
Plants regulate their development with a distinct group of molecular players. ROP proteins, a group of plant-specific proteins, are known to control plant tissue formation. Now, Hugh Mulvey and Liam […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release
Planetary Landscape Dynamics Determined The Evolution Of Biodiversity On Earth
Movement of rivers, mountains, oceans and sediment nutrients at the geological timescale are the central drivers of Earth’s biodiversity, new research published today in Nature has revealed.
Posted inHabitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release, Proxima Centauri, Space Agriculture, TRAPPIST-1
A Spectrum Of Possibilities: Insights Into The Evolution Of Far-red Light Photosynthesis
A collaborative study led by Dr. Christopher Gisriel at Yale University and Dr. Tanai Cardona at Queen Mary University of London, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, offers new insight […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Unlocking Long-term Genetic Memory: Dormant Bacterial Spores Offer Key Insights Into Evolutionary Survival Strategies
A recent study spearheaded by Prof. Sigal Ben Yehuda and her team at Hebrew University has unveiled a captivating facet of bacterial dormancy. This research illuminates the mechanism through which […]
![Type II tRNA evolved via RNA ligation and a 9 nt internal deletion within ligated 3′- and 5′-acceptor stems [42]. Also, 3 31 nt minihelices (one D loop minihelix (magenta 17 nt core) and two anticodon stem-loop-stem minihelices (blue 17 nt core)) were fused by ligation for minihelix replication. The 93 nt tRNA precursor was processed by an internal 9 nt deletion (see below) within fused 3′-acceptor (yellow) and 5′-acceptor (green) stems. In the type II tRNA structure, the red arrow indicates the fusion of the magenta segment (17 nt D loop minihelix core; UAGCC repeat) and the green segment (5′-acceptor stem fragment; initially GGCGG). Abbreviations: SLS) stem-loop-stem; Ac) anticodon. Molecular graphics were created using ChimeraX [43]. -- Life](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The331NucleotideMinihelix.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
The 3 31 Nucleotide Minihelix tRNA Evolution Theorem and the Origin of Life
There are no theorems (proven theories) in the biological sciences. We propose that the 3 31 nt minihelix tRNA evolution theorem be universally accepted as one.