New Theory for Life's First Energy Source

[The_Flying_Skeptic]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/2010...ergysource

[The_Flying_Skeptic]

so nobody cares?

[downbeatplumb]

I care.

[The_Flying_Skeptic]

I care.

aw.

[Minimalist]

I thought it was about the ultraviolet light thing.

That's what I get for not reading it.

[The_Flying_Skeptic]

I thought it was about the ultraviolet light thing.

That's what I get for not reading it.

I was going to post that link here too. post it here too. abiogenesis FTW

[Welsh cake]

Sorry TFS, some research was required on what Pyrophosphite actually is as a compound first, the link provided didn't explain what it is. I think this maybe what the article is referring to, please correct me if I'm wrong:

http://www.mindat.org/min-7261.html

Formula: K2Ca(P2O7)
System: Monoclinic
Lustre: Vitreous
Name: Named after the Greek pyros, meaning fire and the element name - Phosphorus.

Well the essential makeup and elements listed are Calcium (which we know is essential for living organisms for cell physiology for cellular processes to occur) Potassium (again its ions are necessary for the function of all living cells), Oxygen (present in structural molecules in living organisms) and Phosphorus (a component of DNA, RNA, ATP)

Now our chemical makeup by weight alone is that oxygen accounts for 66.6% of our bodies, hydrogen at 10% of our 'chemical formula', Nitrogen at 3% and other elements originating from pollutants are trace value or virtually nil.

All that's missing from Pyrophosphite is Carbon, nevertheless it is possible for it to have ignited life, all life discovered on our planet is carbon-based as it can form long chains for which the other elements can bind to, thus making up our chemical composition, though it is conceivable for silicon or ammonia based life forms to exist in reality as well.

I read up on NewScientist and if you were to brake me up right now into single atoms (taking into account they have differing masses) you'd see the empirical formula H15750 N310 O6500 C2250 Ca63 P48 K15 S15 Na10 CL6 Mg3 Fe1.

More research is needed, I doubt pyrophosphite is all that's required for abiogenesis.

[The_Flying_Skeptic]

http://www.mindat.org/min-7261.html

I wonder why they chose to describe the Pyrophosphite as a product of the combustion of a living organism's feces: "A pyrophospate originated from bat guano combustion in Arnhem Cave, Namibia, about 2000 years ago. Cause of combustion unknown." Almost sounds like a joke. In the Yahoo News article on Pyrophosphite, the chemical is described
"Kee's team has found that pyrophosphite would be "relatively straightforward to prepare from minerals that are known to exist in iron meteorites." The routes to the production of this molecule are simpler than those proposed for pyrophosphate, Kee said."

---

All that's missing from Pyrophosphite is Carbon, nevertheless it is possible for it to have ignited life, all life discovered on our planet is carbon-based as it can form long chains for which the other elements can bind to, thus making up our chemical composition, though it is conceivable for silicon or ammonia based life forms to exist in reality as well.

I read up on NewScientist and if you were to brake me up right now into single atoms (taking into account they have differing masses) you'd see the empirical formula H15750 N310 O6500 C2250 Ca63 P48 K15 S15 Na10 CL6 Mg3 Fe1.

---

interesting.

More research is needed, I doubt pyrophosphite is all that's required for abiogenesis.

Yeah i agree. even in the article, they don't suggest that pyrophosphite is the only chemical required for abiogenesis. The article suggests that pyrophosphite works as a substitute for ATP somehow.

[The Omnissiunt One]

Interesting stuff, thanks for posting it. Of course, it's completely untrue because pyrophosphite was created to test our faith. You fools have strayed from the truth, which is that the Earth was created 6,009 years, 5 months, 2 weeks, 4 days, 17 hours and 34 minutes ago (approximately) by the Holy Teapot, whose existence was revealed to us by the prophet Bertrand (peas be upon him). Some of you worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster, but he's clearly a false idol, devised to parody religious faith. Fools.

[Autumnlicious]

Of course it is thought that early life used sulfur, boron present in early Earth's oceans in abundance for on site energy production, not the sun as many would wish to believe.

Learn something new everyday.

Look up the RNA world and boron (together) and you can find some truly awesome papers on early Earth.