Liquid Crystal Phases of DNA, Beginning of Life?

An anonymous reader writes "A team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Milan has discovered some unexpected forms of liquid crystals of ultrashort DNA molecules immersed in water, providing a new scenario for a key step in the emergence of life on Earth. CU-Boulder physics Professor Noel Clark said the team found that surprisingly short segments of DNA, life's molecular carrier of genetic information, could assemble into several distinct liquid crystal phases that "self-orient" parallel to one another and stack into columns when placed in a water solution. Life is widely believed to have emerged as segments of DNA- or RNA-like molecules in a prebiotic "soup" solution of ancient organic molecules.

Comments

Re:from ooze we came?

[Gotung]

Unfortunately with its tendency to test out every possible variation, evolution also leads to nutbags like you. Go join a suicide cult and help evolution run its course.

Re:soup

[starglider29a]

NO, no, no... DNA and carbon-based life was an accident. The life forms of a bajillion years ago were evolved from carbon nanostructures and interstellar dust, what we would call robotic lifeforms. The DNA liquid crystals were an accidental byproduct of failed display technology. One of the researchers accidentally punctured his liquid crystal display with a tool, rinsed it off in salt water, it drained into a sewer full of salt, iron, trace metals and lots of carbon (hey, robotic life has to poop), and off it went.

Ironically, those carbon nano based lifeforms were wiped out in a mutual jihad as they fought over whether or not the billions of lines of code that defined their existence evolved through chance or were part of an "intelligent design".

Hey, that makes as much sense as the Bible AND the Evolutionists put together. ;-)