

Parts of earliest genetic material came from the stars - FiReaNG3L
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/06/13/scientists.confirm.parts.earliest.genetic.material.may.have.come.stars

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ajross
Ahem: "Scientists confirm that _PARTS_ _OF_ earliest genetic material came
from the stars." You took an already over-sensationalized article title and
editted out even the tiny hint of rationality it had left . Shame on you.

From later in the article: "The materials they have found include the
molecules uracil and xanthine". This isn't DNA, it's like finding a clay pit
and announcing "Our house came from under the earth!".

Sigh...

[EDIT: I see the article title has been fixed to better reflect the source.
Many thanks.]

~~~
FiReaNG3L
I may have been a little over excited on this one, but its still very
significant. This is complex organic molecules, direct precursors of DNA
components, found in a meteorite. You can downplay this all you want but this
is no clay pit vs house :) Sorry again for the sensationalized title; I think
I've been exposed too much to Digg, will do better next time.

~~~
ajross
Truthfully, no, it's not all that significant. Here are the relevant wikipedia
entries on those molecules:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uracil> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthine>

These are simple molecules. Many organic molecules (including some more
complicated than this) have been found in space, either in meteorites or
spectrally. This are significant only because they're chemically related to
what life ultimately ended up using here on earth (or at least Uracil is,
being an RNA pair base -- I have no idea what the Xanthine connection is,
honestly).

Really, this isn't all that surprising.

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Mystalic
It's always disheartening that these types of stories don't make major news
networks. The fact that our DNA may in fact be extraterrestrial is small beans
compared to Britney Spears's 42nd mental breakdown.

~~~
FiReaNG3L
I agree - if you want to help get this on Reddit and Digg, feel free :)

<http://www.reddit.com/info/6n9fl/comments>

[http://digg.com/space/Confirmed_Earliest_genetic_material_ca...](http://digg.com/space/Confirmed_Earliest_genetic_material_came_from_the_stars)

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aswanson
Every element with an atomic number greater than 1 comes from the stars:
[http://aether.lbl.gov/www/tour/elements/stellar/stellar_a.ht...](http://aether.lbl.gov/www/tour/elements/stellar/stellar_a.html)

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newton
No one can stop us now, because we are all made of stars.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdb4NyHdFfE>

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drawkbox
Of course, we are all built from the same explosions that made the cosmos. In
fact i have some pretty crazy theories that neutrinos cause all Universal
beings to expand (or the container to expand) but I think this is the main
reason people love explosions and fireworks. They either signal change AND/OR
life being created. Whether you are scientific or religious, you have to
believe in multiple dimensions and particles or elements beyond Earth is what
makes up the human and the planet we reside on.

The HLC is hoping to find more about this. The same elements that started the
big bang, morphed and advanced into us. Amazing what else they can build with
lots of time.

~~~
hugh
_i have some pretty crazy theories that neutrinos cause all Universal beings
to expand_

No you don't. That's not coherent enough to be a theory, not even a crazy one.
It's just some big words you managed to put together, one after the other,
without any apparent understanding of what any of them means.

~~~
drawkbox
Well I tried to spill too much in one thread. You have no idea what you are
saying because you are judging by one thread. I have studied neutrinos
intently and I hope the LHC will reveal more about them as a building block.
But go ahead be a hater, I can use you for fuel. btw if those are big words I
am sorry.

~~~
davidw
Honestly, "people like explosions because of the big bang" sounds like (too
much) THC, rather than LHC.

~~~
drawkbox
Funny. But yep welcome to America where if you say anything that is too
passionate about something or if you have an artistic, natural take on things
people quickly identify you and say you are smoking the funny stuff. Keep that
mindset and never create something new or a new take on things.

Tell me why you like explosions and fireworks? I personally think that if we
come from stars or the cosmos it has greater meaning than just bright lights,
big color, sensory overload. It could mean life or the start of this whole
system.

Or we could all just not think too far out of the box because it is safe and
we wont' be marked for smoking the reefs because it is not the normal way to
look at things.

Now go back to your pharma meds that are acceptable because they shut down
passionate thinking or pondering.

~~~
hugh
I'll make you a deal. You leave the physics to me, and I'll leave the drugs to
you.

