Nanopictures

[Diane]

http://www.nanopicoftheday.org/alphaindex.htm

I already posted this link in Eye-deas, but as I went through it I saw that there were so many pictures of cells, parts of cells, bacteria and bacterial "engines" etc, that I brought it here too.

A "porphyrin rings" search led me to the site. These are devices that ancient bacteria used to enable them to photosynthesize. Life seems to selfassemble provoked by environment, and in order to exploit energy availability. When something builds up as a "pollutant", life figures out a way to "eat" it. E.g.: oxygen. (Dorian Sagan, "Microcosmos")
Diane

[Diane]

More on porphryins:
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/510542/?sc=dwhn

Seems the abilities of the natural ones can be copied to manufactured ones. Is this a zone where non-life and life interface? A grey zone?

Some idle thoughts this morning..
Diane

[bernard]

Diane,

Your interest for these little things is weird for me. :roll:
Do you suppose that they are ancestors of our chanels and aquaporins?

BTW, channels are non-living and function since they are put on a membrane. It is a non-living mechanical thing used to construct a living one.

[Diane]

According to Dorian Sagan, who 19 years ago wrote an extremely interesting book, Microcosmos, that is basically the case, although by way of homology, since these are plant tools I think. Yet life is life, oui? Or maybe not..
8) ,
Diane