Talk:Iron-sulfur world theory
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The article seems to have inconsistency, e.g. referring to it first as hypothesis (correct) and then as theory (incorrect). Also implicit NPOV violation with "claims" and poor tone with "recipe for life"
Also has NO REFERENCES. Have no clue where article authors got their material from.
- What's wrong with calling it a "theory"? You're not one of these god-bothering creationists are you? LOL --feline1 15:56, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
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[edit] References and dates
Besides lacking references, the article lacks any reference to when the theory was developed. The only date cited is 1997, so all we can infer is that was a period of a lifetime more or less "anchored" at that point. --Extremophile 03:51, 27 February 2006 (UTC)
[edit] New metabolic pathway discovered
In this article from Astrobiliogy Magazine:
James G. Ferry and Christopher House discovered that the microbe (archeum) Methanosarcina acetivorans uses a previously unknown metabolic pathway to metabolize carbon monoxide into methane and acetate (vinegar) using the well known enzymes phosphotransacetylase (PTS) and acetate kinase (ACK). This pathway is surprisingly simple, and has been proposed by Ferry and House as perhaps the first metabolic pathway used by primordial microbes. They further hypothosize that in the presence of minerals containing iron sulfides, as might have be found in sediments in a primordial enviornment, acetate would be catalytically converted into acetate thioester, a sulfur-containing derivative. Primitive microbes could obtain biochemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by converting acetate thioester back into acetate using PTS and ACK, which would then be converted back into acetate thioester to complete the process. In such an environment, a primitve "protocell" could easily produce energy through this metabolic pathway, excreting acetate as waste. Furthermore, ACK catalyzes the synthesis of ATP directly. Other pathways generate energy from ATP only through complex multi-enzyme reactions invloving protein pumps and osmotic imbalances across a membrane.
I think this is relevant to this dubious "Iron-sulfide" world theory for the origin of life. However, Ferry and House have not yet published there results. I'd like to add areference to M. acetivorans here, any comments? Rich.lewis 05:19, 20 May 2006 (UTC)
One more thing, it seems to me that the discovery of this new simple metabolic pathway used by M. acetivorans would support this theory. And, why is "hypothesis" correct and "theory" is not correct in this case? Rich.lewis 05:24, 20 May 2006 (UTC)
- wbat's "dubious" about it? And I've no idea why someone ranted about "theory" vs. "hypothesis".--feline1 10:16, 20 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Weaknesses?
Are there any weaknesss of the hypothesis/theory? Those should be included in the article. -Pgan002 07:29, 10 September 2006 (UTC)
"In 1997, Wächtershäuser and Claudia Huber mixed carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, nickel sulfide, and iron sulfide particles at 100°C and demonstrated that amino acids could form." This statement is not correct chemically. Amino acids contain nitrogen, however there is nothing containing nitrogen listed in the reaction. Therefore ammonia or some other nitrogen source must have been used, or else it was not amino acids that were obtained. Someone with knowledge of this experiment should correct this.
[edit] Something isn't right
"electrochemically link reactions separated in space, if not in time" What in the world does this mean? linking reactions through time? where did this come from? Grock2 03:15, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
