Biological Sciences in Space
Online ISSN : 1349-967X
Print ISSN : 0914-9201
ISSN-L : 0914-9201
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Volume 20, Issue 1
Displaying 1-3 of 3 articles from this issue
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  • Prebiotic Synthesis of Amino Acids and Origins of Catalytic Activities
    Kensei Kobayashi
    2006 Volume 20 Issue 1 Pages 3-9
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: September 06, 2006
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.20.3
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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    A wide variety of experiments have been conducted to synthesize bioorganic compounds such as amino acids since Miller's historical discharge experiments in 1953. Amino acids were easily obtained from strongly reducing gas mixtures. Even if the primitive Earth atmosphere was less reducing, amino acid precursors could be formed by using high-energy radiations. Extraterrestrial organics were another plausible sources of amino acids, and were contained possible seeds of homochirality of bioorganic molecules. There have been controversies concerning the first catalytic molecules in primordial soup. Some of the hypotheses are reviewed, including the RNA world, the Fe-S world and the garbage-bag world.
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  • Constructive Approach towards Origin of Life
    Tadashi Sugawara, Katsuto Takakura, Koh-ichiroh Shohda, Kentaro Suzuki
    2006 Volume 20 Issue 1 Pages 10-14
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: September 06, 2006
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.20.10
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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    As a minimal cell model, a self-reproducing compartment made of membrane molecules, containing a metabolic reac-tion network and informational substances, is proposed. When a precursor of the membrane molecule was added to an aqueous dispersion of giant vesicles, the precursor was converted to the membrane molecule within the vesicular mem-brane containing a catalyst. As a result, the vesicles got corpulent and self-divided, increasing the number of giant vesi-cles. Besides, if the vesicle contained an informational amphiphile with an oligonuleotide head, a polymerization en-zyme, and a template DNA, etc., polymerization of DNA took place on the inner surface of the giant vesicle. This self-reproducing vesicular system is expected to give an excellent clue to understand the origin of life in terms of a con-structive approach.
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  • The Origin of Sex
    Motonori Hoshi
    2006 Volume 20 Issue 1 Pages 15-20
    Published: 2006
    Released on J-STAGE: September 06, 2006
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.20.15
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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    Sex is the sole physiological mechanism to reshuffle the genes within a species. Although sex is widely observed among living organisms, and although its importance for the continuity of life is well accepted, it has been an enigma in Evolutionary Biology. This paper presents a view of a biologist on the living world in relation to the sex and reproduction.
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