Life Like Evolution in a Test Tube

Well I think this might show evidence for the theory of evolution? Have a read.

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For the first time, scientists have synthesized RNA enzymes – ribonucleic acid enzymes also known as ribozymes - that can replicate themselves without the help of any proteins or other cellular components.

What’s more, these simple nucleic acids can act as catalysts and continue the process indefinitely.

“There’s nothing in biology in this system: no proteins, no cells, no biological matter. We just provide them with the building blocks,” said molecular biologist Gerald Joyce of the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego.

The researchers began with ribozymes known to occur naturally, and put these in a growth medium, heated them and allowed the ribozymes to replicate until they had exhausted their fuel – usually within an hour.

The team then extracted a random subset, and put them in a new medium: ribozymes then competed with each other to consume as much of the medium as possible.

Eventually more successful ribozymes came to dominate the culture, and as the process continued, the ribozymes – undergoing evolution - grew in complexity, blindly finding solutions that made them more successful.

“The key thing is it replicates itself, and passes information from parent to progeny down the line,” Joyce told Cosmos Online.

[edit on 22/2/2010 by BlackPoison94]

Originally posted by BlackPoison94
Well I think this might show evidence for the theory of evolution? Have a read.

I agree.

Good find.

i believe in evolution, but it will take a lot more than this to 100% prove it to people against the theory.

Pretty nifty but, hmm.. just hope these proteins don't go wild and turn everyone in brain eating zombies.

Other then that, neato.

It's true. You never know what they're making down there. Maybe some new being to eradicate us all haha.