NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration


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"I saw a program in school saying that when the earth was young, single celled organisms were created. How exactly were they created?"
  1. Content with the tag: “rna

  2. Genes that regulate photosymbiotic relationships

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2

    The RNA world and the origin of life

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2, 3
  3. Astrobiologists Reproduce RNA Component in Laboratory


    NASA astrobiologists studying the origin of life have reproduced uracil, a key component of RNA, in the laboratory. They discovered that an ice sample containing pyrimidines exposed to ultraviolet radiation under space-like conditions produces this essential ingredient of life. The study appears in the September issue of Astrobiology.

    “We have demonstrated for the first time that we can make uracil, a component of RNA, non-biologically in a laboratory under conditions found in space,” said Michel Nuevo, research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center. “We are showing that these laboratory processes, which simulate occurrences in...

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    Source: [NASA Press Release]

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  4. Darwin in a Test Tube


    Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have discovered a way to make molecules evolve and compete according to the laws of Darwinian evolution. Using RNA, the researchers were able to demonstrate that only the fittest molecules survived in the presence of a limited resource. When resources were plentiful, molecules would become increasingly specialized through generations of replication.

    This fascinating work is helping astrobiologists better understand the processes that underlie evolution. Additionally, the results could shed some light on how primitive molecules on Earth first gave live to living organisms.

    The work was funded through NASA’s Exobiology & Evolutionary Biology...



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    Source: [Astrobiology Magazine]

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