4 ms·

How did molecular machines evolve?

39 points by llambda 15y ago

scrozier 15y ago
(Re)creating ancestral forms of current proteins. Seems obvious once you say it, but I don't recall hearing about it while in grad school recently. What a beautiful thing it would/will be to see the evolution of a complex protein complex like the ATP synthase as a series of animations, such as that linked to by @polyfractal. A first glimpse into the development of complexity. I like to imagine the billions of these little machines spinning around inside me right now!
ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago
Slowly. Very, very, slowly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engines_of_Creation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engines_of_Creation
polyfractal 15y ago
The protein complex they are studying here is the ATP Synthase, one of the coolest protein complexes in my opinion. When run in one direction, the complex uses ATP to pump H+ ions across the membrane (against the chemical gradient). When run in the other direction, it uses diffusion and H+ chemical gradients to generate ATP. Sounds cool, but watch how it works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOSyGTYCRFw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOSyGTYCRFw A more stylized explanation: http://wwww.youtube.com/watch?v=yU3NsIfyhfI http://wwww.youtube.com/watch?v=yU3NsIfyhfI The molecular mechanism up close: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_mZGTB5uKg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_mZGTB5uKg Sadly, this awesome example of evolution is one of the poster-children for creationists. Bonus video, this one is a classic and really great. The Inner Life of a Cell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEzRz1jmqNA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEzRz1jmqNA
- Nick_C 15y ago
  > Sadly, this awesome example of evolution is one of the poster-children for creationist Coincidentally, last night's TV had "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial" where they rebutted the creationist view quite successfully, at least to my non-expert eyes. The gist of it was that you plainly see the components of the engine in a needle-like syringe found in other bacteria. It had the shaft, collars and other bits.
maeon3 15y ago
Via natural selection caused by the physical properties of the universe, specifically that objects in an area retain their complexity and uniformity of physics in space where a looping feedback cycle that works in one area will work in another. molecular machines and humans, we are a strange loop.

39 points by llambda 15y ago

(Re)creating ancestral forms of current proteins. Seems obvious once you say it, but I don't recall hearing about it while in grad school recently. What a beautiful thing it would/will be to see the evolution of a complex protein complex like the ATP synthase as a series of animations, such as that linked to by @polyfractal. A first glimpse into the development of complexity. I like to imagine the billions of these little machines spinning around inside me right now!

ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago

Slowly. Very, very, slowly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engines_of_Creation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engines_of_Creation

polyfractal 15y ago

The protein complex they are studying here is the ATP Synthase, one of the coolest protein complexes in my opinion. When run in one direction, the complex uses ATP to pump H+ ions across the membrane (against the chemical gradient). When run in the other direction, it uses diffusion and H+ chemical gradients to generate ATP. Sounds cool, but watch how it works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOSyGTYCRFw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOSyGTYCRFw A more stylized explanation: http://wwww.youtube.com/watch?v=yU3NsIfyhfI http://wwww.youtube.com/watch?v=yU3NsIfyhfI The molecular mechanism up close: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_mZGTB5uKg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_mZGTB5uKg Sadly, this awesome example of evolution is one of the poster-children for creationists. Bonus video, this one is a classic and really great. The Inner Life of a Cell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEzRz1jmqNA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEzRz1jmqNA

Nick_C 15y ago
> Sadly, this awesome example of evolution is one of the poster-children for creationist Coincidentally, last night's TV had "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial" where they rebutted the creationist view quite successfully, at least to my non-expert eyes. The gist of it was that you plainly see the components of the engine in a needle-like syringe found in other bacteria. It had the shaft, collars and other bits.

maeon3 15y ago

Via natural selection caused by the physical properties of the universe, specifically that objects in an area retain their complexity and uniformity of physics in space where a looping feedback cycle that works in one area will work in another. molecular machines and humans, we are a strange loop.