Posted: Mar 15, 2010 9:09 am
Rumraket wrote:Rainbow wrote:Please bear in mind that the starting concentrations used (60 μM 3H-labeled oleate) are 60 000 times higher than those expected in thermal vents. Even starting from these relatively high concentrations, they were only able to achieve a '5-fold accumulation'.
This is only related to the Linear capillaries, which, according to the "Extreme accumulation of nucleotides in simulated hydrothermal pore systems." - paper, differ markedly from concave or shaped capillaries.
Fair enough, but it is a mathematical simulation, and not an actual experiment. The lab experiments done by Szostak show lower accumulations, is my point. If laboratories could achieve these, then the simulation would be validated. This isn't the case (yet).
Before you object to the fact that the above citation deals specifically with nucleotides, the paper goes on later to state:Our approach has the advantage of offering an active concentration mechanism in an already existing, robust enclosure. Because thermophoretic drift is common for molecules, the accumulation scheme applies similarly to nucleic acids, amino acids, and lipids.
No objection. This does introduce another problem, and a very big one. If the concentration effect is non-selective, then it will result in accumulation of all the other molecules in the hydrothermal system.
If we go back to paper 1, then we shall see that hydrocarbons are produced in greater quantities than are fatty acids. If these are accumulated as well then they would interfere with micelle formation.
http://www.tutorvista.com/content/chemi ... mation.php