Can Quantum Theory Concepts Shed Light on Biological Evolution Processes?
449
where A, T, G and C designate the molecular masses (in dimensionless ratios to
m H ) of the adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine nucleotide DNA monomers; M Cd
is the average mass of the 20 bicodons, a bicodon being a set of three couples of
nucleotides (in pairs AT and GC) coding one of the 20 regular aminoacids; and
M Am is the average mass of the 20 corresponding aminoacids. A number of other
amazing correlations between cosmological and biological data have been reported
by Sanchez [28].
Now, it can be recalled that in the 1920s, Oparin then Haldane suggested that
our early atmosphere contained essentially (in addition to hydrogen) CH 4 , NH 3 , and
H 2 O molecules which, under energy inputs from sun radiation (and also lightnings,
radioactivity, volcano heat), gave rise to a number of organic compounds. In the
1950s, Miller submitted this gas mixture to electric sparks and obtained aminoacids
and various other organic compounds. In the 1960s, Calvin et al. submitted the same
mix to cyclotron electrons and obtained aminoacids as well as adenine and important
sugars. All proteinogenic aminoacids were obtained by Fox by heating the mix up to
1000 °C, and all nucleotide bases as well as ribose and desoxyribose sugars entering
DNA and RNA by other workers [29]. The sequence of reactions giving rise to both
amino-acids and nucleotide bases was shown to be as follows:
(A) H 2 O + CH 4 → HCHO; NH 3 + CH 4 → HCN;
(B) 5HCHO → Ribose; 5HCN → Adenine; HCHO + H 2 O + HCN → Glycine; . . . .
(11)
The point is that, once the presence of hydrogen and a few light atoms is granted,
the formation of basic constituents of life polymers appears unavoidable.
Now we know that the 4% visible matter that constitute our universe involve
~74% hydrogen and ~24% helium, plus traces of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and
heavier elements from which all living beings are made (Fig. 1). As nothing prevents
the formation of white stars like our Sun, illuminating blue planets like our Earth,
there can be plenty of these. But it took over 9 billion years after the Big Bang
for them to be formed. It then took over 0.5 billion years for the first prebiotic
molecules to appear on the Earth. A few of them were selected to serve as bricks
for making up all living beings: 22 aminoacids associated to form the ‘phenotype’
structural and functional (protein) molecules, while 5 nucleotide bases formed the
‘genotype’ preservation and transmission (DNA and RNA) molecules. It is not yet
fully understood how these two sets of macromolecules cooperated in metabolizing
aggregates and became endowed with a replication mechanism. 2.5 billion years
later, the first pluricellular organisms appeared in primitive waters.
During the following billion years, the living structures progressed first to primitive animal forms (540 million years ago), then to vertebrates (fishes, amphibians,
reptiles), then to mammals and birds, and closer to us to primates (which replaced
dinosaurians 66 million years ago). Later on emerged the related families of anthropoids (big apes) and hominidae (prehumans), to which belongs our homo kind (2
million years ago). The homo sapiens species appeared ~200,000 years ago. It has
449
where A, T, G and C designate the molecular masses (in dimensionless ratios to
m H ) of the adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine nucleotide DNA monomers; M Cd
is the average mass of the 20 bicodons, a bicodon being a set of three couples of
nucleotides (in pairs AT and GC) coding one of the 20 regular aminoacids; and
M Am is the average mass of the 20 corresponding aminoacids. A number of other
amazing correlations between cosmological and biological data have been reported
by Sanchez [28].
Now, it can be recalled that in the 1920s, Oparin then Haldane suggested that
our early atmosphere contained essentially (in addition to hydrogen) CH 4 , NH 3 , and
H 2 O molecules which, under energy inputs from sun radiation (and also lightnings,
radioactivity, volcano heat), gave rise to a number of organic compounds. In the
1950s, Miller submitted this gas mixture to electric sparks and obtained aminoacids
and various other organic compounds. In the 1960s, Calvin et al. submitted the same
mix to cyclotron electrons and obtained aminoacids as well as adenine and important
sugars. All proteinogenic aminoacids were obtained by Fox by heating the mix up to
1000 °C, and all nucleotide bases as well as ribose and desoxyribose sugars entering
DNA and RNA by other workers [29]. The sequence of reactions giving rise to both
amino-acids and nucleotide bases was shown to be as follows:
(A) H 2 O + CH 4 → HCHO; NH 3 + CH 4 → HCN;
(B) 5HCHO → Ribose; 5HCN → Adenine; HCHO + H 2 O + HCN → Glycine; . . . .
(11)
The point is that, once the presence of hydrogen and a few light atoms is granted,
the formation of basic constituents of life polymers appears unavoidable.
Now we know that the 4% visible matter that constitute our universe involve
~74% hydrogen and ~24% helium, plus traces of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and
heavier elements from which all living beings are made (Fig. 1). As nothing prevents
the formation of white stars like our Sun, illuminating blue planets like our Earth,
there can be plenty of these. But it took over 9 billion years after the Big Bang
for them to be formed. It then took over 0.5 billion years for the first prebiotic
molecules to appear on the Earth. A few of them were selected to serve as bricks
for making up all living beings: 22 aminoacids associated to form the ‘phenotype’
structural and functional (protein) molecules, while 5 nucleotide bases formed the
‘genotype’ preservation and transmission (DNA and RNA) molecules. It is not yet
fully understood how these two sets of macromolecules cooperated in metabolizing
aggregates and became endowed with a replication mechanism. 2.5 billion years
later, the first pluricellular organisms appeared in primitive waters.
During the following billion years, the living structures progressed first to primitive animal forms (540 million years ago), then to vertebrates (fishes, amphibians,
reptiles), then to mammals and birds, and closer to us to primates (which replaced
dinosaurians 66 million years ago). Later on emerged the related families of anthropoids (big apes) and hominidae (prehumans), to which belongs our homo kind (2
million years ago). The homo sapiens species appeared ~200,000 years ago. It has