The similarity of life across the universe.
The similarity of life across the universe.
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DOI：
10.1091/mbc.e15-11-0809
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发表时间：
2016-05-15
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Cockell CS
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cockell CS
如果生命存在于宇宙其他地方，它的形式和结构将与我们想象的不同，这一假设是否正确？从细胞能量获取的亚原子水平到群体规模的有机体的组装甚至行为，地球上的生命所表现出的特征表明它是所有层次生命的普遍规范。这些模式是由于物理和生化的限制而产生的。最近关于碳化合物和水的天体物理丰度和可用性的数据支持了它们潜在的普遍性。在这些限制内，生化和生物变异当然是可能的，但它是有限的。如果其他地方存在生命，那么地球上的生命可能反映了生命物质组装的共同模式，而不是生物进化中一项特定实验的偶然产物。
Is the hypothesis correct that if life exists elsewhere in the universe, it would have forms and structures unlike anything we could imagine? From the subatomic level in cellular energy acquisition to the assembly and even behavior of organisms at the scale of populations, life on Earth exhibits characteristics that suggest it is a universal norm for life at all levels of hierarchy. These patterns emerge from physical and biochemical limitations. Their potentially universal nature is supported by recent data on the astrophysical abundance and availability of carbon compounds and water. Within these constraints, biochemical and biological variation is certainly possible, but it is limited. If life exists elsewhere, life on Earth, rather than being a contingent product of one specific experiment in biological evolution, is likely to reflect common patterns for the assembly of living matter.