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Life May Have Evolved In Ice

Posted by Zonk on from the where-else-would-it-evolve-i-tell-you-not-jersey dept.

Philip Bailey writes "An article in this month's Discover Magazine claims that some of the fundamental organic molecules required for the development of life could have spontaneously arisen within ice. Scientist Stanley Miller was responsible for seminal experiments in the 1950s in this area. He used sparks and a mixture of inorganic chemicals to test his theories, but turned to low temperature experiments in later years. He was able to create the constituents of RNA and proteins from a mixture of cyanide, ammonia and ice in trials lasting up to 25 years. A process known as eutectic freezing is thought to be the basis of these results: small pockets of liquid water, in which foreign molecules are concentrated enormously, increases the reaction rates, and more than compensates for temperature-related slowing."

4 of 159 comments (clear)

  1. Reminds me of a classic Robert Frost poem by sweet_petunias_full_ · · Score: 4, Funny


    Some say the world evolved in fire,
    Some say in ice.
    From what I've tasted of desire
    I hold with those who favor fire.
    But if it had to perish twice,
    I think I know enough of hate
    To know that for destruction ice
    Is also great
    And would suffice.

    To be sure, some sparks were still needed for the ice theory but there you have it.

    --
    You can't send a takedown notice to an already printed newspaper.
  2. oblig. by owlnation · · Score: 4, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new penguin overlords.

    All hail Tux!

  3. Re:Ice... by Skreems · · Score: 4, Funny

    The only result for "early quiet sun" is a hit on some site talking about early Brian Eno recordings...

    --
    Slashdot needs a "-1, Wrong" moderation option.
    The Urban Hippie
  4. Ice Ice Baby... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Funny
    He was able to create the constituents of RNA and proteins from a mixture of cyanide, ammonia and ice in trials lasting up to 25 years.

    Another early experiment, in which he added Vanilla to the mix still haunts Professor Miller to this day.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .