Category: Uncategorized

"MECHANISMS for self-replication can be autocatalytic, where a molecule acts as a template to make a direct copy of itself, or cross-catalytic, where two or more molecules of different informational content amplify one another." http://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-642-11274-4_1423 View in LinkedIn

"SELF-REPLICATION occurs when an informational molecule (such as a nucleic acid) directs the spontaneous synthesis of a replica of itself." http://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-642-11274-4_1423 View in LinkedIn

TOWARDS ABIOTIC LIFE. "Scientists in the UK and Malaysia have created a self-assembling rotaxane that can replicate itself. The result may lead to the development of autonomous chemical systems that mimic cellular processes." https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/rotaxane-raises-the-bar-for-self-replicating-chemical-systems/9161.article View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS part I on the bombshell publication that suggested that memory could be eaten. This continues next weekend. Quite how the information contained in a memory gets codified into any molecule has been a confounding topic for decades, in part because memories tend to be extremely specific, and in part because they are so plentiful. View in LinkedIn

SPECIATION. "How new species emerge in nature is still incompletely understood and difficult to study directly. Self-replicating molecules provide a simple model that allows us to capture the fundamental processes that occur in species formation." https://lnkd.in/dfhRgv9 View in LinkedIn

SMOKE AND FIRES. "Government agencies granted more than $1 million (in 1960s dollars) to conduct such experiments, and 247 research reports appeared in print. Clearly, something was going on here; there were enough encouraging results to beckon others to try their hand." https://lnkd.in/esKEPF7 View in LinkedIn

HIGH FIDELITY CHEMICAL INFORMATION. "Their new research found that it is possible to design a mechanism for copying chemical information very accurately without relying on biological enzymes to assemble and separate sequence copies." https://lnkd.in/dF6far5 View in LinkedIn

CRYSTAL ADAPTATION. "DNA tile crystals can be programmed to process information during growth, allowing them to adapt to their environment. Our findings could even form the basis of novel molecular technologies for making complex self-replicating nanoscale objects." https://lnkd.in/dF6far5 View in LinkedIn

ABANDONED HYPOTHESIS. "He proposed, as well, that such crystals might have been the first chemical self-replicators capable of Darwinian evolution. His theory was controversial at the time, and his ideas have never gained widespread support." https://lnkd.in/dF6far5 View in LinkedIn

CRYSTAL REPLICATION. "The idea that crystals can self-replicate was first presented by organic chemist and molecular biologist Graham Cairns-Smith in 1965." https://lnkd.in/dF6far5 View in LinkedIn