This excerpt from MATCMadison,edu on absorbing UV light.
http://matcmadison.edu/biotech/resources/methods/labManual/unit_4/exercise_15.ht...

"Most biological molecules do not intrinsically absorb light in the visible range, but they do absorb ultraviolet light. Biologists take advantage of UV absorbance to quickly estimate the concentration and purity of DNA, RNA, and proteins in a sample... It is also possible to quantify the amount of DNA in a sample by looking at its absorbance at a wavelength of 260nm or 280nm (in the UV region)...

Proteins have two absorbance peaks in the UV region, one between 215-230 nm, where peptide bonds absorb, and another at about 280 nm due to light absorption by aromatic amino acids (tyrosine, tryptophan and phenylalanine). Certain of the subunits of nucleic acids (purines) have an absorbance maximum slightly below 260 nm while others (pyrimidines) have a maximum slightly above 260 nm. Therefore, although it is common to say that the absorbance peak of nucleic acids is 260 nm, in reality, the absorbance maxima of different fragments of DNA vary somewhat depending on their subunit composition. "

What if UV is a selective force at the start of life. If purines, and pyrimidines have slightly different absorbance maximums, then wouldn't each have a selective advantage under certain UV conditions?

Thoughts?

Tom Hendricks

Informational Genetics:

``Informational genetics refers to the unification of Shannon's
information theory and genetics.''

- http://alife.co.uk/essays/informational_genetics/

Report: cells "from space" have unusual makeup

Sept. 8, 2008
Special to World Science

A lineage of odd microbes that may have crashed into Earth aboard a meteor
in 2001 seem to contain molecules not found in Earthly cells, two scientists
are reporting.

Although many remain skeptical over the remarkable claim of minuscule
extraterrestrial visitors, Godfrey Louis, head of the physics department at
Cochin University of Science and Technology in India, presented the findings
at a scientific conference in San Diego on Aug. 12.

The meeting was organized by SPIE, the International Society for Optical
Engineering. The acronym reflects its former name as Society of
Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

The microbes give off unsual sorts of fluorescence under specific lighting
conditions, which follow patterns never seen in normal cells, according to
Louis and Santhosh Kumar of Mahatma Gandhi University in India, co-authors
of the report. The likely explanation, they added, is that the particles
contain molecules not found in Earthly organisms.

Nature 455, 220-223 (11 September 2008) | doi:10.1038/nature07152; Received
31 January 2008; Accepted 5 June 2008

Understanding the limits to generalizability of experimental evolutionary
models
Samantha E. Forde 1,5, Robert E. Beardmore 2,5, Ivana Gudelj 2,3,5, Sinan S.
Arkin 2, John N. Thompson 1 & Laurence D. Hurst 4

1.. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
2.. Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
3.. Department of Mathematical Sciences and,
4.. Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2
7AY, UK
5.. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract:
Given the difficulty of testing evolutionary and ecological theory in situ,
in vitro model systems are attractive alternatives; however, can we appraise
whether an experimental result is particular...

Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement.
Please kindly help forward it to potentially interested colleagues and
students.

SPATIAL EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS WORKSHOP
Institut des Systemes Complexes (ISC), Paris, October 17, 2008
This workshop addresses the special features of evolutionary dynamics
that occur in explicitly spatial models compared with traditional mean
field models.

The aim is to bring together scientists studying the effects of
spatial extent ("isolation by distance") and configuration on
evolutionary dynamics. Authors are invited to submit a 1-page abstract
on their research, or on a review and discussion about any aspect of
spatial evolutionary dynamics. Contributions may be original or
already published (please specify when submitting).

Keynote speaker: Paulien Hogeweg <http://www-binf.bio.uu.nl/ph>
Organizing committee: Guy Hoelzer <http://www.scsr.nevada.edu/~bioweb/
hoelzer.html> and Rene Doursat <http://doursat.free.fr>
Workshop Website: http://www.iscpif.fr/SED2008

[moderator's note: This web site seems legit, although it is pretty
much limited to coursework in India. If that's of interest to you,
check it out. - JAH]

Dear Friends,

www.bioexcellence.org is now online. You will find here all the
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commercial interest.

Team Bioexcellence

I am interested in the common brown ticks found on pets.

The ticks are unusally good at surviving on these animals, even if
they are shaken/thrown off, tramped upon, without nutrition (blood)
etc.

I would like to know how their genes could have evolved to such a high
level of survival.

Steve.

Space: The not-so-final frontier

Of all environments, space must be the most hostile: It is freezing cold,
close to absolute zero, there is a vacuum, so no oxygen, and the amount of
lethal radiation from stars is very high. This is why humans need to be
carefully protected when they enter this environment. New research by
Ingemar J

vodyanoj gmail.com> wrote:-

JE:
Just like any other science, evolutionary theory absolutely requires
falsifiable frames of reference just to be able to make rationale sense.
There is nothing new in this since it was amply demonstrated...

When the big bang began, the hot universe began to cool.
I suggest that that cooling is connnected to and reflected in
human morality of good and bad. Nothing pops out of nothing
in the universe (except subatonmic particles) so everything
that is, developed from or evolved from what came before.

The loose list of some of the steps follows.

Universe starts and begins to cool.

Stars produce the elements.

Sun forms with planets.

Earth is in an orbit that allows for a Sun temperature cycle
that allows for liquid water. And has a strong sun UV power
component. It also allows for an environment
that is reasonably constant enough to build on, but variable
enough to allow for variation - which has the potential for
life and natural selection.