NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  1. Content with the tag: “proteins

  2. Potential Origin of Primordial Protein Enzymes


    Life on earth is facilitated by a multitude of enzymes that catalyze essential chemical reactions. The vast majority of today’s enzymes are proteins, yet looking at the complex and intricate structures of natural enzymes it is hard to imagine how the first enzymes emerged.

    However, new experiments by Seelig and Szostak, show that small, simple enzymes can evolve rather easily. In the August 16, 2007 issue of Nature, they describe the generation of an...

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  3. Extracellular Protein-Metal Aggregates: A New Biosignature?


    Deep inside a flooded mine in Wisconsin, scientists from NAI’s University of California, Berkeley Team have discovered an environment in which bacteria emit proteins that sweep up metal nanoparticles into immobile clumps. Their finding may lead to innovative ways to remediate subsurface metal toxins, and have exciting implications for identifying biosignatures on Earth and other worlds. The research, published in the June 14th issue of Science, was done in collaboration with a team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence...

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