Nexus - 1005 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

How life took a quantum leap into the world that eventually manifested human life is still a mystery. To call it life, you need a cell with both a nucleus and a containing membrane. The mystery is written in the cells and molecules of all the life that still surrounds us. The eukaryotes evolved in complexity, developing cellular characteristics. Arguably, there are fossils 3.8 billion years old that have structural molecules, ribosomes and protein-synthesising machinery. Proteins make possible the molecules for the "blueprint" molecule DNA. The stable DNA molecule became the genome carrier. How life took a quantum leap into the world that eventually manifested A linear string of nucleotides makes up DNA. It specifies "codons", human life is still a mystery. To call it life, you need a cell with both a —_ which in turn specify the amino acids that make up all of the different pro- nucleus and a containing membrane. The mystery is written in the cells _ teins that combine together to make a body. Five decades of tedious work and molecules of all the life that still surrounds us. made it possible to identify the 3.3 billion nucleotides that encode the The eukaryotes evolved in complexity, developing cellular sequence of the human genome. characteristics. Arguably, there are fossils 3.8 billion years old that have Where are we now? It remains to be seen what sort of balance we structural molecules, ribosomes and protein-synthesising machinery. strike between using the genome for good or ill, or even if we retain our Proteins make possible the molecules for the "blueprint" molecule DNA. "humanity" and genetic integrity. Humankind has never attempted such a The stable DNA molecule became the genome carrier. crucial project before. It has often been said that "the map is not the territory", and the same holds true for the "map" of the human genome. SALT OF THE EARTH Looking at the map doesn't reveal the natural consequences of real-life We wish to suggest a structure for the salt of deoxyribonucleic acid experimentation. In complex systems, small changes can quickly pump (DNA). This structure has novel features which are of up into dramatic, often unforeseen and potentially catastrophic considerable biological interest. consequences. Thus, Watson and Crick announced their revolutionary discovery with For the time being, the twisted staircase of DNA is explored in the an understatement about their studies on pure, crystallised DNA. But realms of molecular biology and biochemistry. Based on opening this what was the role in the evolution of life for this "salt of the earth"? world of biological organisation, we can conjecture what mysteries an A shift to an oxygen-rich atmosphere 2.0 billion years ago allowed the even deeper look at the functional basis of living matter might reveal. evolution of cells with a nucleus. Eukaryotes keep their DNA structures in This is the domain of biophysics, the realm of both particle and wave a nucleus. They have 10 to 1,000 times more of this genetic substance interactions —fields. than prokaryotes. For a thousand million years there were only prokary- It has been demonstrated that DNA is electrically conductive; much like otes (microbes) and single-celled micro- copper wire, it can carry a charge. It is organisms, eukaryotes. Their reign cov- believed that this live-wire vital capacity ers half the timeline of life on Earth. may have provided the charge transfer Cells became more and more com- that gave life a jump-start. DNA's ability lex over aeons, and developed into to transport charge helps minimise genetic Plans a, verde ines, amphi It has been demonstrated othe same fundamental psa evs ians, reptiles, mammals, birds and flow- that DNA is electrically that govern matter and the Universe also ers appeared. All animals, insects, Cano g gover living organisms. Even a sound ants, fungi and algae are eukaryotes, conductive; much like copper biochemical theory can be replaced by an though the volume of prokaryotes far wire, It can carry a charge. even better, more fundamental, biophysi- outnumbers cellular life. Prokaryotes cal theory. It is still important to study are still essential to sustaining life on the properties at their own levels, not just as janet. RNA still plays a vital role in consequences of more fundamental scien- cellular life, and hasn't relinquished its tific disciplines. rimal importance. Where are we going? Who knows Perhaps life did not evolve on Earth at how future generations of man may be all if it is over 3,850 million years old. Maybe it did come in the form of _ engineered from the 3.3 billion "letters" of the human genome? We have intergalactic organic compounds of extremely hardy bacteria, spores and _been looking to the genetic code for the secret of life. Perhaps we shoul microbes from space, perhaps safely nestled deep in meteors, comets and _ be listening to the genetic ode: the electromagnetic song of life that anetary debris torn loose in collisions. Once they arrived from space, _reverberates throughout our being —the audible life-stream. according to the theory, they self-assembled as proteins, then amino acids and life—with the ability to grow and reproduce. THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE DNA became the active repository of nature's blueprints for life—a We are more fundamentally electromagnetic rather than chemical ibrary of proteins. Deoxyribonucleic acid is the molecule that programs —_ beings. The driver of evolution is not DNA, but even more fundamental our genetic potential. It is a virtually immortal thread tying us to all the quantum mechanical symmetry-breaking forces (King, 2003). jife that has ever existed. Decoding life has become a reality, pulling off If we drop down another whole domain of observation from the juicy the veil of nature's mysterious process. Scientists can now purify, amplify "wetware" described by chemistry and atomic structure, we enter the and reproduce DNA in the laboratory. They can also overwrite the genet- subatomic realm of quantum physics. At this level the behaviour of I notions of ic code to create wholly new organisms. matter, both organic and inorganic, is governed not by - nd affant that DNA is electrically conductive; much like ‘Copper fa THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE We are more fundamentally electromagnetic rather than chemical beings. The driver of evolution is not DNA, but even more fundamental quantum mechanical symmetry-breaking forces (King, 2003). If we drop down another whole domain of observation from the juicy "wetware" described by chemistry and atomic structure, we enter the subatomic realm of quantum physics. At this level the behaviour of matter, both organic and inorganic, is governed not by classical notions of cause and effect or even complex dynamics, but by those of quantum probability. "Something" appears to emerge from virtually "nothing"—which physicists have come to describe as a "sea of infinite potential". They call it "quantum foam", "vacuum potential" or "zero-point energy"; we can call it the "vacuum substructure". Subatomic particles wink in and out of existence on a continuous basis, like some subatomic froth. This "something" appears paradoxically in wave/particle form. This world is not transcendent to matter, but underlies it as a coherent unity —much like ecology underlies biology. Within this context, some physicists have strongly suggested that the nature of reality is fundamentally analogous to that of a holographic pro- THE GENETIC ODE The secret of life! How long mankind has yearned to know its essence and how to extend lifespan and improve health. The discovery of the DNA helix in 1953, by Watson and Crick, revealed the shape of this magic molecule. The following 50 years of research has led directly to our ability to read the human genome. We can now decipher its creative meaning and imitate its creative evolution. Genetic engineering is no longer a chimera or sci-fi dream, but a stark reality. In terms of genetics, we are moving from the machine age to the gene age. A flood of new genetic information is transforming science and medicine. 50 ¢ NEXUS It has been demonstrated wire, it can carry a charge. WWW.NeXU smagazi ne.com AUGUST — SEPTEMBER 2003