Check out last months Scientific American, or the Sciam webpage.
Amara Graps wrote:
> From: Eugene Leitl <Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de>
>
> >Interesting. I suspected quartz to be playing that role.
>
> why quartz?
The faces of the quartz provide L/R symetric faces upon which
aminos could build, and the electrochemical properties of quartz
works for building such structures. At that point Left and Right
handed proteins duke it out and the best one wins. If you already
have a world with right handed sugars...
> >However, life's chirality can be adequately explained by
> >autoamplification of a rare event.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> A neutron star's synchtron-radiation imposed on the
> molecular cloud out of which our Solar System formed?
>
> (do you find that hypothesis believable?)
>
> Amara
>
> ********************************************************************
> Amara Graps email: amara@amara.com
> Computational Physics vita: finger agraps@shell5.ba.best.com
> Multiplex Answers URL: http://www.amara.com/
> ********************************************************************
> "Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the
> future of the human race." -- H. G. Wells
The synchtron radiation idea has pertty much been shot down...
Most radiation just doesn't penetrate a cold dark nebulae where
all that fun chemistry is happening, while on the other hand, if
you've got enough energy to penetrate the nebulae, you almost
certainly have enough energy to blow away the complex and
delicate molecules that you're interested in, in the first place.
Once you have all those wonderful rich organics falling in comets
and carbonaceous meteors... they need a safe place away from
the intense UV, and harsh environment to begin having some real
fun. Rocky substrates... mica, quartz, fun muddy places... that's
the ticket!
Marie Tobias
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