CONCEPT Surviving Mass Extinctions Through Biomineralized DNA
نویسندگان
چکیده
Even in the worst of conditions, such as those which occurred during mass extinction events, life on Earth never totally stopped. Aggressive chemical and physical attacks able to sterilize or poison living organisms occurred repeatedly. Surprisingly, DNA was not degraded, denatured or modified to the point of losing the capability of transferring the genetic information to the next generations. After the events of mass extinction life was able to survive and thrive. DNA was passed on despite being an extremely fragile biomolecule. The potential implications of hydroxyapatite protection of DNA are discussed including how DNA acts as a template for HAp formation, how cell death can trigger biomineralizatoin, and how DNA can be successfully released from HAp when the conditions are favourable for life.
منابع مشابه
The genetic signature of (astronomically induced) life extinctions
The current understanding of supernova and gamma-ray burst events suggests important effects on the biosphere if one of more of them happened to strike the earth in the past. In this paper we evaluate the possibility that life extinctions which probably occurred due to excess of radiation occurring in the geologic past might have left a genetic signature on surviving species. We emphasize the s...
متن کاملLong-term Effect of Biomineralized Insulin Nanoparticles on Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Intracellular insulin may exhibit a long-term effect in regulating protein synthesis, DNA synthesis, and gene transcription. However, the intracellular delivery of insulin is a great challenge. Here, we describe how a simple biomineralization modification of insulin can transport it into intact cells on a large scale, leading to a long-term therapeutic effect on diabetes mellitus. Using insulin...
متن کاملExtinction and recolonization of coastal megafauna following human arrival in New Zealand.
Extinctions can dramatically reshape biological communities. As a case in point, ancient mass extinction events apparently facilitated dramatic new evolutionary radiations of surviving lineages. However, scientists have yet to fully understand the consequences of more recent biological upheaval, such as the megafaunal extinctions that occurred globally over the past 50 kyr. New Zealand was the ...
متن کاملThe end-Permian extinction
The end Permian extinction was the greatest mass extinction of the Phanerozoic Era. It impacted marine and terrestrial plants and animals. Although the rate of the extinction has been controversial in the past, recent evidence suggests that the extinction progressed in two pulses approximately 5-12 million years apart. The second pulse of the extinction is marked by a sharp temperature spike an...
متن کاملMass Extinctions vs. Uniformitarianism in Biological Evolution
It is usually believed that Darwin’s theory leads to a smooth gradual evolution, so that mass extinctions must be caused by external shocks. However, it has recently been argued that mass extinctions arise from the intrinsic dynamics of Darwinian evolution. Species become extinct when swept by intermittent avalanches propagating through the global ecology. These ideas are made concrete through ...
متن کامل