How Rocks Came Alive

calamity · May 9, 2017

Well, maybe not literally...but close, perhaps. Here's an interesting theory worth considering.

The biggest question is: How does one go from molecules organized on a mineral surface to a set of molecules that makes copies of itself? We certainly know that is the fundamental characteristic of life, self-replication, and we know that some early system of molecules must’ve figured out that trick. Perhaps the minerals guided that process or perhaps they were merely a convenient place for molecules to meet and organize, and just by some pure chance event, just the right set of molecules came together and formed this self-replicating system.

Read more: Life and Rocks May Have Co-Evolved on Earth | Science | Smithsonian

Makes sense sort of. Crystals "grow." Right? So, why not consider the prospect that a simple rock became not only self replicating but also dynamic. It's alive!

Crazy? Not.

Look at the first life form. What's it look like?

A rock. Right?

Stromatolites (/stroʊˈmætəlaɪts, strə-/[1][2]) or stromatoliths (from Greek στρῶμα strōma "layer, stratum" (GEN στρώματος stromatos), and λίθος lithos "rock")[3] are layered bio-chemical accretionary structures formed in shallow water by the trapping, binding and cementation of sedimentary grains by biofilms (microbial mats) of microorganisms, especially cyanobacteria.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromatolite

Well, here's a Nova doc on the topic. Enjoy.

Tim the plumber · May 11, 2017

Also try this video. It is a very good one. The oil drops pass my test for being alive.

https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_hanczyc_the_line_between_life_and_not_life

calamity · May 11, 2017

Tim the plumber said:
Also try this video. It is a very good one. The oil drops pass my test for being alive.

https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_hanczyc_the_line_between_life_and_not_life

Oil drops may be a huge catalyst for life. One theory says that some protein chains were captured by such drops and from there developed into the first cells, one of which eventually learned to divide.

Also, being oily, it allowed these cells to cling to rocks, eventually leading to the stromatolites.

Tim the plumber · May 11, 2017

calamity said:
Oil drops may be a huge catalyst for life. One theory says that some protein chains were captured by such drops and from there developed into the first cells, one of which eventually learned to divide.

Also, being oily, it allowed these cells to cling to rocks, eventually leading to the stromatolites.

Well yes, after watching the video my thinking is that life is automatic given the right circumstances and those are fairly broad; a liquid with carbon stuff floating about in it. So all those extremely cold moons in the outer solar system are looking good.

calamity · May 11, 2017

Tim the plumber said:
Well yes, after watching the video my thinking is that life is automatic given the right circumstances and those are fairly broad; a liquid with carbon stuff floating about in it. So all those extremely cold moons in the outer solar system are looking good.

I would say the two things they need are a heat source coming from somewhere deep in the moon's bowels and an abundance of loose minerals floating around in liquid water like a chemical soup. Some sort of electricity would be helpful too.

If you have time, the first few minutes of this video are well worth a look-see.

Slingshot Bob · May 11, 2017

Scientist estimate that the chances of any given biological matter fossilizing, is one in a million. Don't know how they figure that, but I have thousands of fossils. Pretty cool anyway.

When I saw the thread title, I thought you were referring to those rocks somewhere in South America, that mysteriously move across a flat plane.

calamity · May 11, 2017

Slingshot Bob said:
Scientist estimate that the chances of any given biological matter fossilizing, is one in a million. Don't know how they figure that, but I have thousands of fossils. Pretty cool anyway.

When I saw the thread title, I thought you were referring to those rocks somewhere in South America, that mysteriously move across a flat plane.

These? Apparently they do it in Death Valley too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones

Tim the plumber · May 11, 2017

calamity said:
I would say the two things they need are a heat source coming from somewhere deep in the moon's bowels and an abundance of loose minerals floating around in liquid water like a chemical soup. Some sort of electricity would be helpful too.

If you have time, the first few minutes of this video are well worth a look-see.

Got to 3.30 before i could take no more of that drivel.

Life predates cellular life.

Evolution predates life.

Whoever wrote that lot has no idea about carbon chemistry.

calamity · May 11, 2017

Tim the plumber said:
Got to 3.30 before i could take no more of that drivel.

Life predates cellular life.

Evolution predates life.

Whoever wrote that lot has no idea about carbon chemistry.

I think what he meant by that is this.

Before there were cells, there were genetic chains of amino acids and proteins. However, until they actually became engulfed in cells, they never stood a chance to survive the environment around them. In other words, until that glob of oily substance captured just the right carbon chain, life could not survive to the next generation.

As for the evolution comment, maybe he meant things were evolving long before they actually became life. Makes sense, when you just look at our planet as an evolving system, evolution predating life.

calamity · May 11, 2017

Tim the plumber said:
Also try this video. It is a very good one. The oil drops pass my test for being alive.

https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_hanczyc_the_line_between_life_and_not_life

Watching this video right now. It's really good. Thanks.

Tim the plumber · May 11, 2017

calamity said:
I think what he meant by that is this.

Before there were cells, there were genetic chains of amino acids and proteins. However, until they actually became engulfed in cells, they never stood a chance to survive the environment around them. In other words, until that glob of oily substance captured just the right carbon chain, life could not survive to the next generation.

As for the evolution comment, maybe he meant things were evolving long before they actually became life. Makes sense, when you just look at our planet as an evolving system, evolution predating life.

Ah, my mystake in writing the post.

Life predates cells. This is the real situation. There are living things about today which are not cells.

Evolution happens when you have self replicating chemicals which are not complex enough to be called life.

Who ever wrote the stuff in the video has no idea.

How Rocks Came Alive

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