Posted on 04/19/2012 8:05:05 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Step aside, DNA—new synthetic compounds called XNAs can also store and copy genetic information, a new study says.
And, in a "big advancement," these artificial compounds can also be made to evolve in the lab, according to study co-author John Chaput of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. (See "Evolution vs. Intelligent Design: 6 Bones of Contention.")
Nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA are composed of four bases—A, G, C, and T. Attached to the bases are sugars and phosphates. (Get a genetics overview.)
First, researchers made XNA building blocks to six different genetic systems by replacing the natural sugar component of DNA with one of six different polymers, synthetic chemical compounds.
The team—led by Vitor Pinheiro of the U.K.'s Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology—then evolved enzymes, called polymerases, that can make XNA from DNA, and others that can change XNA back into DNA.
This copying and translating ability allowed for genetic sequences to be copied and passed down again and again—artificial heredity.
Last, the team determined that HNA, one of the six XNA polymers, could respond to selective pressure in a test tube.
As would be expected for DNA, the stressed HNA evolved into different forms.
This shows that "beyond heredity, specific XNAs have the capacity for Darwinian evolution," according to the study, published tomorrow in the journal Science. (Read "Darwin's Legacy" in National Geographic magazine.)
"Thus, heredity and evolution, two hallmarks of life, are not limited to DNA and RNA."
XNA Could Demystify Origins of Life?
All of XNA'S actions are "completely controlled by experimentalists—it's 100 percent unnatural," study co-author Chaput noted.
But such control means that scientists can "use [XNA] to ask very basic questions in biology," such as about the origins of life, Chaput said.
For instance, "it's possible that life didn't begin with DNA and proteins like we see today—it may have begun with something much, much simpler," he said.
A scientist could potentially evolve XNA to discover various functions that would have been important for early life.
Overall, he said, the new discovery is "pretty cool—and very powerful."
Now, about DNA being a self-replicating, self-assembling chemical ~ we knew that. Darwinian evolution has little to do with self-assembly though.
What we don't know is if it has super computers in there somewhere.
Now, about DNA being a self-replicating, self-assembling chemical ~ we knew that. Darwinian evolution has little to do with self-assembly though.
What we don't know is if it has super computers in there somewhere.
Seems to me its a better arguement for intelligent design than “natural” evolution.
"Oh, Happy Day!" (oops, sorry NG, for that culturally insensitive, religions musical reference)
Unfortunately, they let some "soon to be dismissed" staff writer slip into the headline a bit of religious terminology, i.e. "Synthetic DNA Created, Evolves on Its Own."
Keep plugging away, NG. Or, as Douglas Adams said, "Keep banging the rocks together!"
It's nonsense circular logic that Bio-ware wrote over a weekend because EA wanted to get the game out as fast as possible while hyping it up as much as they could!
The Synthesis ending was stupid! The Control Ending was stupid! and Destroy left everyone Effed over!
Oh wait, we weren't talking about Mass Effect 3's ending?
Sorry, I am still in remission from it.....
...
For instance, "it's possible that life didn't begin with DNA and proteins like we see today—it may have begun with something much, much simpler," he said.
Except in this case, they've shown that they can change something very complex into another form. They started with DNA, not something simpler. Am I reading it wrong?
Maybe I’m just paranoid, but it sounds like a potential “mad scientist” loophole to get around percentages of human DNA based experimentation in the lab by using XNA.
Even if this is true. It was an act of creation by an intelligent being to make it happen. Therefore not evolved in a truly naturalistic way.
It obeys the laws of nature like "natural" evolution.
Who’s your daddy?
Let me see if I’m understanding this correctly.
It took an ‘intelligent’ designer to ‘create’ an artificial life form using synthetic materials, to force unnatural ‘evolution’ because they couldn’t make it happen naturally...
Wow...just...wow. Brilliant Einstein!
And for what purpose? Slavery? Eventual sales of ‘unique’ life forms as toys for children?
To lift man above G-d?
Reminds me of a story I read a long time ago from a big book where artificial life forms ‘happened’ and became so evil that they ate humans and mated with animals.
Only one family on the whole earth still retained unpolluted DNA, and survived the fire that swept in...I mean deluge... to destroy the evil life forms. Otherwise, humanity would have been extinct in 8 little bites of a meal.
Just from reading the brief review posted, there appear to
be a few potential areas that need clarification...
1) Where were the non natural sugar compounds attached to the
bases derived from? Were they synthesized in a nonintelligent
way?
2) only one of the artifical DNA’s(namely HNA) was able to
be altered by “selection pressure” What did the other XNA’s
do? Did they compete with the action of HNA? What was the
selection pressure? Was it a naturally occuring condition?
3) If the researchers “evolved” the polymerases, did they
start with a predetermined polymerase and changed it , or
did they form a polymerase by chance, and then “evolved” it?
Since when is using intelligence to alter something an
example of “naturally” occuring phenomena? Again, what were
the conditions for this “evolution” Was it a naturally
occuring physical environment, or was it a contrived environment?
4) How long of the chains of the XNAs were formed?...could there
be a natural limit to the size of these chemical polymers,
as is curling back in on itself and rendering itself useless
for further interactions.
5) Did these compounds pair up? What brought the compounds
all together in the correct way? What was the “chemical
yield” of these chemical reactions. Did only one percent
or 0.000001% of the polymers behave as reported.
6) What would happen to these compounds after their formation
if they are just left standing around...Would they decompose
rapidly?(think entropy)
7) Since the DNA’s and RNA’s need proteins and other
cytoplasmic agents to replicate and coil, and separate
(think mitotic spindle, or swivel proteins, non histone
proteins, etc) How does this information help that?
8) The action of DNA/RNA, protein synthesis ,etc in forming
life from basic chemicals is seen everyday in the development
of offspring(think babies, kittens, puppies, and guppys)
How does this information differ from that phenomena?
It took an ‘intelligent’ designer to ‘create’ an artificial life form using synthetic materials, to force unnatural ‘evolution’ because they couldn’t make it happen naturally...
Wow...just...wow. Brilliant Einstein!
And for what purpose? Slavery? Eventual sales of ‘unique’ life forms as toys for children?
To lift man above G-d?
I imagine people like yourself once said the same thing about the telephone, computers, and the Internet. You should lead by example and go flip your main circuit breaker.
Interesting stuff. They should be able to learn a lot from it.
It's a real movie - check it out.
If the article is correct, it described Lamarckian evolution not Darwinian. That is, ‘pressures’ provoke hereditary changes passed down to offspring. “Giraffes have long necks because they needed to reach the tender growth at the top of the tree.”
There are many like them. And they have a plan.
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