artificial comet yields 26 amino acids

[Eastoff]

http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-artificial-comet-blocks-life.html

The team led by Louis Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt was in charge of creating a micro-comet at the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale. Under extreme conditions similar to those found in space (-200 °C and in a vacuum), the researchers condensed a number of compounds found in the interstellar medium, such as water (H2O), ammonia (NH3) and methanol (CH3OH) molecules, onto a solid piece of magnesium fluoride (MgF2), while subjecting them to ultraviolet radiation. After ten days, they obtained a few precious micrograms (10-6 grams) of artificial organic material.

his technology enabled the chemists to identify twenty-six amino acids in the artificial comet, while previous international experiments had only detected three. More important still, they discovered something no one had ever witnessed: six diamino acids, including, in particular, N-(2-aminoethyl)glycine. This is an extraordinary breakthrough, as this compound might be one of the major constituents of the peptide nucleic acid (PNA) molecule, which is the precursor of terrestrial DNA.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Comets are nothing more than god's snot.

 

[mook]

Way to go Libertarians!

 

[jlprk]

"precursor of terrestrial DNA"

Put this in the evolution thread!

 

[PapaG]

So using existing compounds, other existing compounds were created.

Kind of cool, I guess.

 

[jlprk]

Through billions of random interactions, the 2-for-1 consolidation trade was invented.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

26 amino acids?

So what?

When I put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in my root beer, it fizzes. Thus creating at least 26 chemicals on my own.

 

[jlprk]

When I put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in my root beer, it fizzes. Thus creating at least 26 chemicals on my own.

When you want to play God, stick to your rubber duckie in the bathtub.

 

[Eastoff]

26 amino acids?

So what?

When I put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in my root beer, it fizzes. Thus creating at least 26 chemicals on my own.

I wonder what kind of chemical reaction really occurs with a rootbeer float?

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

When you want to play God, stick to your rubber duckie in the bathtub.

Shows what you know. My rubber duckie is in the hot tub.