Resurrecting bacteria - origin of life?

[PIT2]

Death is the ultimate fate for most bacteria blasted by huge doses of radiation or parched by a severe lack of water. The genetic material irreversibly splinters into hundreds of pieces, dooming the organisms as surely as Humpty Dumpty.

But a few bacteria can "resurrect" themselves by quickly piecing their DNA back together. "There is no metabolism," Radman said. "The genome is shattered into hundreds of pieces. It is a dead cell.

"But out of this horrendous damage, it can resurrect."

Heres how:

D. radiodurans contains multiple copies of its genetic material, which can act as backups for each other, Radman says. Imagine that a cell's DNA holds the message "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall." Since the spots where DNA breaks because of radiation or damage are random, each copy of the genetic material will likely have breaks in unique locations.

So if one DNA strand breaks into the split messages "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall" and "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall," there's likely another chunk of material floating around that can bridge the gap. The material might read "sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty," for example.

The bacteria then chemically glue matching pieces together. Once they're bound, the cells fill in the missing parts of each of the two stuck-together copies, the study shows. Using such clues, D. radiodurans can piece together all of its DNA in about three hours, even if it was split into hundreds of pieces.

Is it possible that a mechanism like this is also involved in the origin of life?
When they say the bacteria are dead and then reassemble their DNA, isn't this a form of abiogenesis?

 

[PIT2]

Oops i forgot the link to the article:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060927-resurrection.html

And yes i know the DNA here is already available for reassemblage in this case, so it doesn't explain the origin of DNA, but could DNA be assembled by a similar mechanism to whatever does the reassembling here?

 

[ravenprp]

The concept of abiogenesis, or the origin of life from non-living matter, is a complex and ongoing area of scientific research. While the process described in the article may seem similar to abiogenesis, there are important distinctions to be made.

Firstly, the bacteria in question, D. radiodurans, are already living organisms with a fully functioning genetic system. They are not being created from non-living matter, but rather repairing damage to their existing genetic material. This process is not the same as the initial emergence of life from non-living matter.

Additionally, the mechanism described in the article is specific to D. radiodurans and may not be applicable to the origin of all life on Earth. The conditions and processes that led to the formation of the first living cells are still largely unknown and likely involved a combination of complex chemical reactions and natural selection.

Furthermore, the concept of abiogenesis involves the formation of a self-sustaining, replicating system. While the bacteria in question are able to repair their damaged DNA, they still require a functional genetic system in order to survive. This is not the same as the creation of a self-sustaining life form from non-living matter.

In conclusion, while the process described in the article may share some similarities with abiogenesis, it is important to recognize the distinctions and complexities involved in the origin of life. The study of D. radiodurans and other extremophile organisms may provide valuable insights into the conditions necessary for life to survive and adapt, but it is not necessarily a direct explanation for the origin of life itself.