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Partial Ingredients For DNA And Protein Found Around Star
NASA via ScienceDaily.com ^ | 2005-12-30 | NA

Posted on 12/31/2005 1:32:58 AM PST by neverdem

Partial Ingredients For DNA And Protein Found Around Star NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered some of life's most basic ingredients in the dust swirling around a young star. The ingredients - gaseous precursors to DNA and protein - were detected in the star's terrestrial planet zone, a region where rocky planets such as Earth are thought to be born.

The findings represent the first time that these gases, called acetylene and hydrogen cyanide, have been found in a terrestrial planet zone outside of our own.

"This infant system might look a lot like ours did billions of years ago, before life arose on Earth," said Fred Lahuis of Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands and the Dutch space research institute called SRON. Lahuis is lead author of a paper to be published in the Jan. 10 issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Lahuis and his colleagues spotted the organic, or carbon-containing, gases around a star called IRS 46. The star is in the Ophiuchus (pronounced OFF-ee-YOO-kuss), or "snake carrier," constellation about 375 light-years from Earth. This constellation harbors a huge cloud of gas and dust in the process of a major stellar baby boom. Like most of the young stars here and elsewhere, IRS 46 is circled by a flat disk of spinning gas and dust that might ultimately clump together to form planets.

When the astronomers probed this star's disk with Spitzer's powerful infrared spectrometer instrument, they were surprised to find the molecular "barcodes" of large amounts of acetylene and hydrogen cyanide gases, as well as carbon dioxide gas. The team observed 100 similar young stars, but only one, IRS 46, showed unambiguous signs of the organic mix.

"The star's disk was oriented in just the right way to allow us to peer into it," said Lahuis.

The Spitzer data also revealed that the organic gases are hot. So hot, in fact, that they are most likely located near the star, about the same distance away as Earth is from our sun.

"The gases are very warm, close to or somewhat above the boiling point of water on Earth," said Dr. Adwin Boogert of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. "These high temperatures helped to pinpoint the location of the gases in the disk."

Organic gases such as those found around IRS 46 are found in our own solar system, in the atmospheres of the giant planets and Saturn's moon Titan, and on the icy surfaces of comets. They have also been seen around massive stars by the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory, though these stars are thought to be less likely than sun-like stars to form life-bearing planets.

Here on Earth, the molecules are believed to have arrived billions of years ago, possibly via comets or comet dust that rained down from the sky. Acetylene and hydrogen cyanide link up together in the presence of water to form some of the chemical units of life's most essential compounds, DNA and protein. These chemical units are several of the 20 amino acids that make up protein and one of the four chemical bases that make up DNA.

"If you add hydrogen cyanide, acetylene and water together in a test tube and give them an appropriate surface on which to be concentrated and react, you'll get a slew of organic compounds including amino acids and a DNA purine base called adenine," said Dr. Geoffrey Blake of Caltech, a co-author of the paper. "And now, we can detect these same molecules in the planet zone of a star hundreds of light-years away."

Follow-up observations with the W.M. Keck Telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii confirmed the Spitzer findings and suggested the presence of a wind emerging from the inner region of IRS 46's disk. This wind will blow away debris in the disk, clearing the way for the possible formation of Earth-like planets.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. JPL is a division of Caltech. Spitzer's infrared spectrograph was built by Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Its development was led by Dr. Jim Houck of Cornell.

For graphics and more information about Spitzer, visit http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer . For more information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit http://www.nasa.gov/home/ .

Editor's Note: The original news release can be found here.

This story has been adapted from a news release issued by National Aeronautics And Space Administration.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: astronomy; chemistry; dna; helixmakemineadouble; nasa; panspermia; science; spitzer; spitzertelescope; xplanets
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To: neverdem
Like the kid said when he looked under an unused bed "If we're from dust, and return to dust, something is coming or going under this bed"

Maybe the same in space!

21 posted on 12/31/2005 5:37:25 AM PST by leadhead (It’s a duty and a responsibility to defeat them. But it's also a pleasure)
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To: Termite_Commander
Squint!
22 posted on 12/31/2005 5:38:18 AM PST by Young Werther
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To: thoughtomator

Beat me to it!!!Excellent!


23 posted on 12/31/2005 5:39:10 AM PST by Young Werther
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To: neverdem; All

Wanted to let all Know, I have found evidence of writings of Marx on the Andromeda Galaxy.if you do xray spec at exactly 21:00128 hrs during the summer solstice you will plainly see "to each according to his needs from each according to his ability" at 10 angstrom wave length when Andromeda is at parallax.


24 posted on 12/31/2005 5:39:27 AM PST by ConsentofGoverned (if a sucker is born every minute, what are the voters?)
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To: ConsentofGoverned

ROFL.


25 posted on 12/31/2005 5:42:02 AM PST by Havoc (President George and King George.. coincidence?)
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To: Aracelis
The article explained how these gases are precursors to DNA:

Yeah, and iron ore is a precursor to a car. And a car is a lot less complex than DNA.

26 posted on 12/31/2005 5:47:00 AM PST by hopespringseternal
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To: connectthedots
suspect this will be about a credible as the South Korean cloning experiments. Nonetheless, there will be evolutionists who will jump all over this and claim that this is proof of evolution.

It might or might not be factual. But the one question they always dance around is how all these chemicals/gasses/matter, etc. got here in the first place. The are very good at explaing evolution. They are very bad at trying to tackle cause other than just proclaiming "thats the nature of the universe." A weak position IMHO.

And I am someone who buys the theory of evolution. I just remain open to some higher intelligence putting it in motion.

27 posted on 12/31/2005 5:48:31 AM PST by 101st-Eagle
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To: hopespringseternal
"Yeah, and iron ore is a precursor to a car. And a car is a lot less complex than DNA."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.................
Great line and right on point. What passes for science today is group think and the need to expand trivial findings into something much too profound for the weight of the data -they are the league of small minds who sprue this hyped trash.
28 posted on 12/31/2005 5:53:33 AM PST by ConsentofGoverned (if a sucker is born every minute, what are the voters?)
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To: neverdem; RightWhale
Acetylene and hydrogen cyanide can link up together in the presence of water to form some of the chemical units of life's most essential compounds, DNA and protein.

This is somewhat fuller a disclosure. Given these starting materials, a whole lot of reaction products are possible, not just the (non-sulfur) amino acids and the purines and pyrimidines. (With me in the lab, for instance, the yield of the desired products would reasonably be expected to be low. :) Still need some phosphorus, too, for RNA or DNA, but it's a good start, and certainly nothing to sneeze at.

29 posted on 12/31/2005 5:58:51 AM PST by aposiopetic
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To: 101st-Eagle
It might or might not be factual. But the one question they always dance around is how all these chemicals/gasses/matter, etc. got here in the first place. The are very good at explaing evolution. They are very bad at trying to tackle cause other than just proclaiming "thats the nature of the universe." A weak position IMHO. And I am someone who buys the theory of evolution. I just remain open to some higher intelligence putting it in motion.

Who is the "they" who don't remain open to that? Certainly not most of the evo posters round here, and certainly not most biologists worldwide. Remaining open to a supposition such as "maybe a higher intelligence is responsible for all this" (which most evos would accept), is not the same thing as promoting the idea that ID is a science (which most evos wouldn't accept) .

30 posted on 12/31/2005 6:00:53 AM PST by Thatcherite (More abrasive blackguard than SeaLion or ModernMan)
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To: Thatcherite
" is not the same thing as promoting the idea that ID is a science (which most evos wouldn't accept) ."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..............
The human mind is not capable of understanding all the science of ID , much like the concepts of multi-verse and the weird world of subatomic physics as deduced from string /quantum theory..but some dare to call both human science. IN both we can understand some and with both we have experiments which give us some data to support both..for ID just look to bio-tech and human attempts at ID with E coli and production of Human hormones if that is not ID then we have a basic dishonesty problem with our Darwinist kool aid drinkers.
31 posted on 12/31/2005 6:14:51 AM PST by ConsentofGoverned (if a sucker is born every minute, what are the voters?)
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To: ConsentofGoverned
" The human mind is not capable of understanding all the science of ID"

Not true. I am capable of understanding the concept of zero.

"for ID just look to bio-tech and human attempts at ID with E coli and production of Human hormones if that is not ID then we have a basic dishonesty problem with our Darwinist kool aid drinkers."

The fact that humans can engineer things is in NO way evidence that we created the universe or designed life on Earth. The only intelligent designer we have any evidence for is ourselves. That's it.
32 posted on 12/31/2005 6:20:48 AM PST by CarolinaGuitarman ("There is grandeur in this view of life...")
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To: Termite_Commander

Get the new National Geographic - it has an article devoted to the Spitzer 'telescope'. Simply put, humans can only detect a small segment of light waves - there are other components, such as infrared, that are detectable by instruments. The Spitzer is flying far out in space in near-absolute zero temperatures to be able to register & record the smallest light waves. They're actually working on a new version that will be even more powerful.


33 posted on 12/31/2005 6:23:45 AM PST by lemura
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To: CarolinaGuitarman
"The only intelligent designer we have any evidence for is ourselves. That's it."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>................
but we have hundreds of posts stating there is NO Science of ID..you have at least admitted that humans can and have done ID.(the biblical statement G-d created man in his own image implies we have a small ability to mimic his works) .thats a start.
34 posted on 12/31/2005 6:29:14 AM PST by ConsentofGoverned (if a sucker is born every minute, what are the voters?)
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To: PatrickHenry
If abiogenesis is easy, that would be proof of design. If abiogenesis is very unlikely or impossible, that's proof of design for sure.
35 posted on 12/31/2005 6:30:22 AM PST by VadeRetro (Liberalism is a cancer on society. Creationism is a cancer on conservatism.)
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To: ConsentofGoverned
" but we have hundreds of posts stating there is NO Science of ID..you have at least admitted that humans can and have done ID."

Nobody has denied human designers. This in NO way is evidence for the ID that ID'ers/creationists are talking about. To think it is is the height of naivete/ intellectual dishonesty.
36 posted on 12/31/2005 6:32:46 AM PST by CarolinaGuitarman ("There is grandeur in this view of life...")
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To: CarolinaGuitarman
"Nobody has denied human designers. This in NO way is evidence for the ID that ID'ers/creationists are talking about. To think it is is the height of naivete/ intellectual dishonesty."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>...........
oh come now, I called you Darwinists dishonest first!!LOL
I think the light of reason is breaking down some of the Darwinist crowd - what some call ID theory is very religious dogma an attempt to explain the world in allegory if you would. What some call ID theory is just reflection of what the data of the structure our Universe and the complexity of the life forms we know of has shown. ID is a science in bio tech and it is IMO not an unreasonable explanation for life and the Universe.
37 posted on 12/31/2005 6:43:17 AM PST by ConsentofGoverned (if a sucker is born every minute, what are the voters?)
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To: ConsentofGoverned
humans can and have done ID

Now all you'll have to do is demonstrate how humans could have done it 4 billion years ago and you'll have a point.

38 posted on 12/31/2005 6:45:28 AM PST by narby (Hillary! The Wicked Witch of the Left)
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To: narby

"Now all you'll have to do is demonstrate how humans could have done it 4 billion years ago and you'll have a point."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>............
LOL, at least you now admit that ID is possible and is a science even if done by humans..the damn is breaking how many fingers you guys got left to patch it up..


39 posted on 12/31/2005 6:48:37 AM PST by ConsentofGoverned (if a sucker is born every minute, what are the voters?)
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To: balch3
Cyanide is a deadly poison gas, but somehow the Darwinists think this is evidence of "life."

Dihydrogen Monoxide, aka water, is a deadly poison in sufficient amounts. I take it chemistry isn't your strong suit?

40 posted on 12/31/2005 6:50:44 AM PST by Thermalseeker
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