Another life form? but not as we know it

Feb 26 2009 by Stewart Watkins, The Journal

THE bicentennial of the birth of the ‘Father of Evolution’, Charles Darwin, has put studies into the origins of life on our planet into even sharper focus.

Synthetic biology may still be some way off being able to assemble living cells from scratch in the lab, but the scientific community is gradually providing a better understanding of how life on earth began.

Take biochemist Professor David Deamer of the University of California, Santa Cruz. He’s been investigating the origins of life for over 20 years.

He’s a graduate of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina – part of the 7,000 acre Research Triangle Park which is the inspiration behind our North East Technology Park (NETPark) development.

His group analyses DNA and RNA molecules and has developed a biomolecular nanopore detector that can discriminate between almost identical strands of DNA. We’re all acutely aware of the impact that the analysis of DNA has made in recent decades.

Work at the Université of Montréal has led to a new theory to explain the emergence of ribosomes, which translate the messages carried in the genetic code of organisms.

And I read with interest last weekend a report on the recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The internationally acclaimed theoretical physicist Professor Paul Davies asked if life might have evolved on Earth more than once.

He called on scientists to launch what he termed “a mission on earth” to search for ‘weird life’. Once you overcome the desire to expound on some of the examples of ‘weird life’ you see on an average night out, he is making a serious point.

He’s not talking about the stereotypical bug-eyed, green monsters that filled our screens in early sci-fi movies or even the etiolated Roswell corpse. He’s talking about forms unrelated to life as we know it – what he calls a “shadow life” that may be hidden in the earth’s more hostile environments.

Life that could be based on DNA or RNA, but with a different genetic code or different amino acids. Science is already aware of microbes that derive their energy from arsenic, for instance, and can exist in heavily contaminated lakes.

Our techniques, says Professor Davies, are customised to the biochemistry of known life and he challenges us to look further and deeper. With a worldwide reputation as an enthusiastic communicator of science he certainly provides food for thought.

So, 200 years down the line, Darwin’s work is still inspiring and informing scientific enquiry which is important for a region like ours that’s rich in biotechnology research. The more we understand about what started us ticking, the more progress biotech is likely to make on ensuring that we all enjoy at least 2.5 billion healthy heartbeats.

Stewart Watkins is managing director of County Durham Development Company, which is driving the development of NETPark and NETPark Net.