[extropy-chat] volcanic gas- origins of life?

[Amara Graps]

Filling in some parts from what Jeff Davis pointed extropy-chat to:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-10/sri-cov100704.php

>Component of volcanic gas may have played a significant role in the
>origins of life on Earth

>Carbonyl sulfide forms peptide bonds

>Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the Salk Institute
>for Biological Studies are reporting a possible answer to a
>longstanding question in research on the origins of life on Earth--how
>did the first amino acids form the first peptides?
[...]
>what came before the stromatolites?
[...]
>This latest study is an advance because previous attempts to
>demonstrate the formation of peptides on early Earth depended on
>reaction schemes that were less plausible or were not as efficient.
>Next, the team plans to examine carbonyl sulfide's reactive properties
>further and see if the gas can bring about other chemical reactions
>that are relevant to prebiotic chemistry.

Looking up the paper, to see the abstract and some details:

Science, Vol 306, Issue 5694, 283-286 , 8 October 2004

Carbonyl Sulfide-Mediated Prebiotic Formation of Peptides
Luke Leman,1 Leslie Orgel,2 M. Reza Ghadiri1*

Almost all discussions of prebiotic chemistry assume that amino acids,
nucleotides, and possibly other monomers were first formed on the
Earth or brought to it in comets and meteorites, and then condensed
nonenzymatically to form oligomeric products. However, attempts to
demonstrate plausibly prebiotic polymerization reactions have met with
limited success. We show that carbonyl sulfide (COS), a simple
volcanic gas, brings about the formation of peptides from amino acids
under mild conditions in aqueous solution. Depending on the reaction
conditions and additives used, exposure of -amino acids to COS
generates peptides in yields of up to 80% in minutes to hours at room
temperature.



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(plug for recent volcano photographs  :-) )

While we are on the subject of volcanoes, here is a new
page of Etna volcano photographs from an expedition of
stromboli.net guys one week ago. You will see a reference
to 'wavelets' and some very nice QuickTime movies
are here too...

Skylights and lava falls in Valle del Bove
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/etna0410-en.html

Amara

(my own: http://www.amara.com/photo/etna.html )
-- 

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Amara Graps, PhD          email: amara at amara.com
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Multiplex Answers         URL:   http://www.amara.com/
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"And chase down any of those noble gases or whatever that crud is."
    -- Apollo 12 Astronaut Alan Bean