NationStates Jolt Archive

(Article is not from an online source)

"By examining fossils from a prehistoric fish, two Swedish scinetists have concluded that our ears evolved from an organ once used for breathing.

The fish, Panderichthys (http://www.devoniantimes.org/Order/re-panderichthys.html), was a precursor to the first tetrapod, the animal that crawled onto land and eventually spawned all four legged vertebrates, including humans. A bottom dweller, Panderichthys had a spiracle, a tube for breathing water through the top of its head while its face was buried in mud. From the spiracle's anatomy and its position in the head relative to the fish's unusually short jaw bone--a known ancestor to the modern ear's stirrup bone--scientists deduced that it was a precursor to a fully developed middle ear.

"It is a great fill-in-the-gap story that shows a nice transition stage at an important point in evolution," zoology curator Mark Westneat tells The Washington Post. "The finding," he says, "is a repudiation to the claim by advocates of intelligent design that the ear is so complicated that it could only have been created by the hand of god..."


Interesting news indeed:)

Satan done buried some fake fish bones and all them smartypants sientists was fooled by it. It's kind of funny if it wern't so sad. Fer all of yer book-lernin yew don't even no the word of the Lord. You folks ought to read yer bible more ofen.

This has to do with pharyngeal slits/clefts... it's a feature all chordata have, but in the tetrapods it developed into specific features (on the head) such as the ears

This has to do with pharyngeal slits/clefts... it's a feature all chordata have, but in the tetrapods it developed into specific features (on the head) such as the ears
R U speakin in tongues?

Satan done buried some fake fish bones and all them smartypants sientists was fooled by it. It's kind of funny if it wern't so sad. Fer all of yer book-lernin yew don't even no the word of the Lord. You folks ought to read yer bible more ofen.

Wow....You got that right...

Satan done buried some fake fish bones and all them smartypants sientists was fooled by it. It's kind of funny if it wern't so sad. Fer all of yer book-lernin yew don't even no the word of the Lord. You folks ought to read yer bible more ofen.
na go with the scientology crud it was some space aliens lovechild unfortuneatly it drowned an fossilised due to the nuclear blast ater the overlord sent a shipload of aliens into a volcano... erm.. wait.... na stick with the bible its more believable and yet.... im torn!!! why cant god be simple an just be one dammn thing to all .... o no.... ive started another religion FOR GODS SAKE!!!! :mp5:

R U speakin in tongues?
Sorry, pharyngeal clefts/slits are sort of like gills, that's also where fishes gills develop from... and well... nevermind i guess... I think if i say i'm stuyding biology, that'll say enough

It is very interesting though, how the same thing (pharyngeal slits/clefts) developed into different features in different species. In all chordata, except the tetrapods, it is now commonly a feature that is used for breathing... in the tetrapods its the features of the head such as the ears

na go with the scientology crud it was some space aliens lovechild unfortuneatly it drowned an fossilised due to the nuclear blast ater the overlord sent a shipload of aliens into a volcano... erm.. wait.... na stick with the bible its more believable and yet.... im torn!!! why cant god be simple an just be one dammn thing to all .... o no.... ive started another religion FOR GODS SAKE!!!! :mp5:

Wtf...

Satan done buried some fake fish bones and all them smartypants sientists was fooled by it. It's kind of funny if it wern't so sad. Fer all of yer book-lernin yew don't even no the word of the Lord. You folks ought to read yer bible more ofen.

Hehe, good point! I agree ;) :D :p

Where was that article published? It sounds really interesting.

Hehe, good point! I agree ;) :D :p
You might not want to agree with that guy. He's not a big fan of Muslims.

*does the evolution dance*
Owned ID advocates!

(Article is not from an online source)

"By examining fossils from a prehistoric fish, two Swedish scinetists have concluded that our ears evolved from an organ once used for breathing.

The fish, Panderichthys (http://www.devoniantimes.org/Order/re-panderichthys.html), was a precursor to the first tetrapod, the animal that crawled onto land and eventually spawned all four legged vertebrates, including humans. A bottom dweller, Panderichthys had a spiracle, a tube for breathing water through the top of its head while its face was buried in mud. From the spiracle's anatomy and its position in the head relative to the fish's unusually short jaw bone--a known ancestor to the modern ear's stirrup bone--scientists deduced that it was a precursor to a fully developed middle ear.

"It is a great fill-in-the-gap story that shows a nice transition stage at an important point in evolution," zoology curator Mark Westneat tells The Washington Post. "The finding," he says, "is a repudiation to the claim by advocates of intelligent design that the ear is so complicated that it could only have been created by the hand of god..."


Interesting news indeed:)
so we evolved... from fish?

or was that just our ears that came from fish. :D :D :D

*does the evolution dance*
Owned ID advocates!

Not so much, I'm afraid... they'd probably just use it to bolster their claims, saying that it "couldn't be possible" for something like that to happen.

and yesterday i saw a chicken bone and concluded that our ass holes once were used to eat

so we evolved... from fish?

or was that just our ears that came from fish. :D :D :D

we had the same ancestores

and yesterday i saw a chicken bone and concluded that our ass holes once were used to eat

Well.....If the digestive system worked in reverse.....maybe taste buds around the general area...

Anyone want to take bets on how long this thread will remain an intelligent discussion?

Not so much, I'm afraid... they'd probably just use it to bolster their claims, saying that it "couldn't be possible" for something like that to happen.

True, but any excuse to do the evolution dance is always good.

and yesterday i saw a chicken bone and concluded that our ass holes once were used to eat

Congratulations! That post was completely relevant! And well thought out! It must have taken you hours to come up with such a brilliant post.

Hey everybody! Let's agree with this guy because he makes such a convincing arguement!

Anyone want to take bets on how long this thread will remain an intelligent discussion?
It stopped being intelligent around the time I did the evolution dance
*keeps making references to an evolution dance in the hopes someone will make one*

It stopped being intelligent around the time I did the evolution dance
*keeps making references to an evolution dance in the hopes someone will make one*

There I quoted you, maybe I'll even do an evolution dance later, but right now...

*does the "not an idiot" dance*

Congratulations! That post was completely relevant! And well thought out! It must have taken you hours to come up with such a brilliant post.

Hey everybody! Let's agree with this guy because he makes such a convincing arguement!

it makes about as much sense as two guys deciding we breathed through our ears

it makes about as much sense as two guys deciding we breathed through our ears
Take a course in reading comprehension please.

it makes about as much sense as two guys deciding we breathed through our ears

This is why ID is compelling.

It stopped being intelligent around the time I did the evolution dance
*keeps making references to an evolution dance in the hopes someone will make one*

Nah more about People without names' post.


And what can you do for an evolution dance beyond going from hunched over like an ape to standing up straight...maybe grabbing a spear along the way.

Take a course in reading comprehension please.

ok, your right, they were scientist and the base a theory that we breathed through our ears, from a theory that this fish had the same ancestor as us. This doesnt end the story, the story ends with a bunch of people believing that these theories combined create proof that it must be true.

Go Sweden!

it makes about as much sense as two guys deciding we breathed through our ears


Who's talking about breathing through our ears? I'm not. The OP isn't. The article isn't. What it's saying, and listen (er... read) carefully here, because I'm not going to explain this once. The article is talking about how an organ that was once used for respiration may have evolved into an ear, based on actual fossil evidence.

As opposed to your post which was either a demonstration of a sad unwillingness to actually make any attempt to comprehend the topic being discussed here, or a deliberate atempt to undermine said topic for reasons of your own.

In conclusion, sit down and shut up until you can discuss this intelligently.

it makes about as much sense as two guys deciding we breathed through our ears*Points* Look! It's one of the Mud-People :D

ok, your right, they were scientist and the base a theory that we breathed through our ears, from a theory that this fish had the same ancestor as us. This doesnt end the story, the story ends with a bunch of people believing that these theories combined create proof that it must be true.
You're still not getting it. The educational system kinda sucks. Ok, WE never breathed through our ears. A fish that was an ancestor to land animals used structures that later evolved into ears to breathe with. Got it?

Are all creationists as learning disabled as that? Is that the root of the problem? Can it be that you guys just can't make sense of things that you read?

That is why ID is compelling, though... it seems to be based off of the idea that evolution is ridiculous. And admittedly if you don't actually read the article (which I'd like to do, if anyone knows where it can be found) it sounds like an outrageous claim.

Who's talking about breathing through our ears? I'm not. The OP isn't. The article isn't. What it's saying, and listen (er... read) carefully here, because I'm not going to explain this once. The article is talking about how an organ that was once used for respiration may have evolved into an ear, based on actual fossil evidence.

an organ that our ears evolved from was used to breath, associative property we went from breathing to hearing through this organ, we breathed through what we call today "ears"

In conclusion, sit down and shut up until you can discuss this intelligently.
-i am sitting, most people dont stand while at their computer
-i havnt said a word since i sat down at my computer, typing isnt really speaking
-and i guess im not intelligent because i dont accept theory based on theory as fact

ok, your right, they were scientist and the base a theory that we breathed through our ears, from a theory that this fish had the same ancestor as us. This doesnt end the story, the story ends with a bunch of people believing that these theories combined create proof that it must be true.

A specific bone, found in our ears, was found in the breathing tube of this animal. This animal has already been deemed to have been among the first to be land-based, thus, providing a good chance that we evolved from it and our ear evolved from its breathing tube.

an organ that our ears evolved from was used to breath, associative property we went from breathing to hearing through this organ, we breathed through what we call today "ears"


-i am sitting, most people dont stand while at their computer
-i havnt said a word since i sat down at my computer, typing isnt really speaking
-and i guess im not intelligent because i dont accept theory based on theory as fact

On second thought, I won't even try to bother.

ok, your right, they were scientist and the base a theory that we breathed through our ears, from a theory that this fish had the same ancestor as us. This doesnt end the story, the story ends with a bunch of people believing that these theories combined create proof that it must be true.

Oh for the love of all that is shiny.

I'm assuming you're a creationist, yes?

Do you have any idea how riddiculous you sound? Not to mention the spelling.

And I sincerely hope that I do not need to explain to you exactly why this sounds riddiculous.

an organ that our ears evolved from was used to breath, associative property we went from breathing to hearing through this organ, we breathed through what we call today "ears"


-i am sitting, most people dont stand while at their computer
-i havnt said a word since i sat down at my computer, typing isnt really speaking
-and i guess im not intelligent because i dont accept theory based on theory as fact

Technically, these things used to breath through something similar to our middle ear. We never breathed through it.

and it's a figure of speech, which you'd do well to heed.

an organ that our ears evolved from was used to breath, associative property we went from breathing to hearing through this organ, we breathed through what we call today "ears"


It's actually that our ancestors had these structures, and then for most chordata they became structures through which to breath, BUT with humans (and other tetrapods) they became structures such as ears, so never to actually breath. Do you guys actually need me to go find my essay from a few weeks back that i wrote on this topic???

an organ that our ears evolved from was used to breath, associative property we went from breathing to hearing through this organ, we breathed through what we call today "ears"

By that theory, women once breathed through men's ribs. According to bible. Eve (all of her, including her ears) were made from one of Adam's rib. Thus, by associative property we breathed through what we call today "ribs".

-i am sitting, most people dont stand while at their computer
Metaphor.
-i havnt said a word since i sat down at my computer, typing isnt really speaking

See above.

-and i guess im not intelligent because i dont accept theory based on theory as fact

Not going to bother. Not even going to bother.

It's actually that our ancestors had these structures, and then for most chordata they became structures through which to breath, BUT with humans (and other tetrapods) they became structures such as ears, so never to actually breath. Do you guys actually need me to go find my essay from a few weeks back that i wrote on this topic???

I'd be interested in reading that essay but I'm probably the only one.

(Article is not from an online source)

"By examining fossils from a prehistoric fish, two Swedish scinetists have concluded that our ears evolved from an organ once used for breathing.

The fish, Panderichthys (http://www.devoniantimes.org/Order/re-panderichthys.html), was a precursor to the first tetrapod, the animal that crawled onto land and eventually spawned all four legged vertebrates, including humans. A bottom dweller, Panderichthys had a spiracle, a tube for breathing water through the top of its head while its face was buried in mud. From the spiracle's anatomy and its position in the head relative to the fish's unusually short jaw bone--a known ancestor to the modern ear's stirrup bone--scientists deduced that it was a precursor to a fully developed middle ear.

"It is a great fill-in-the-gap story that shows a nice transition stage at an important point in evolution," zoology curator Mark Westneat tells The Washington Post. "The finding," he says, "is a repudiation to the claim by advocates of intelligent design that the ear is so complicated that it could only have been created by the hand of god..."


Interesting news indeed:)so where was the article published then?

By that theory, women once breathed through men's ribs. According to bible. Eve (all of her, including her ears) were made from one of Adam's rib. Thus, by associative property we breathed through what we call today "ribs".

you havnt read genises have you (btw im not a creationist as most would describe a creationist) eve was not only made by the rib, but also mud, and had the breathe of life breathed in her by god

It's actually that our ancestors had these structures, and then for most chordata they became structures through which to breath, BUT with humans (and other tetrapods) they became structures such as ears, so never to actually breath. Do you guys actually need me to go find my essay from a few weeks back that i wrote on this topic???

I'd be intrested. This makes sense to me, I'm sure we've all had our ears pop with changes in pressure, ears and air flow are not unfamiliar.


P.S. And I'm not so sure, but isn't there some sort of tube from within the ear that leads to like, the nose or something?

you havnt read genises have you (btw im not a creationist as most would describe a creationist) eve was not only made by the rib, but also mud, and had the breathe of life breathed in her by god

And that sounds more reasonable?

There's two of us! :D

I'd be interested in reading that essay but I'm probably the only one.

Forgot that i had to write that essay in dutch... sorry... It's about half a page that's specifically about that and i was gonna post it but i forgot its in dutch. (yeah, strange to forget something like that, but that's because i do as much of my study in english as i can, but some things have to be in dutch)

you havnt read genises have you (btw im not a creationist as most would describe a creationist) eve was not only made by the rib, but also mud, and had the breathe of life breathed in her by god

Oh I apologize deeply. So women now breathe through men's ribs and/or mud.

And if you are not a creationist, you are a...?

you havnt read genises have you (btw im not a creationist as most would describe a creationist) eve was not only made by the rib, but also mud, and had the breathe of life breathed in her by god
I've read Genesis. It's the first book in the bible. What's genises? Genesis contains two different creation stories that contradict each other. The whole Rib and Mud thing comes from the fact that the divinely inspired truthfull book can't get it's story straight.

-and...im not intelligent

Ironically, that was the first intelligent thing you have said. Fish do not have our ears, I'm sorry to say. We did not breate through what we call "ears" today. We breathed through an organ which evolved into modern-day ears.

by the way, just also remebered that those slits, that for humans turn into ears, for invertebrates are important for feeding and for most other vertebrates are for breathing

Oh I apologize deeply. So women now breathe through men's ribs and/or mud.

And if you are not a creationist, you are a...?

now your getting all pissy about word choice, try choosing your own my wisely.

i never said i wasnt a creationist

-and...im not intelligent

damn thats a good one. you sure got me

now your getting all pissy about word choice, try choosing your own my wisely.

Um. My own yours wisely? What?

i never said i wasnt a creationist

Okay, I am going to ask this straight out, so their can be no confusion. Are you, or are you not a creationist?

If the answer to the above question is 'Yes, I am a creationist," are you a Christian creationist?

Um. My own yours wisely? What?



Okay, I am going to ask this straight out, so their can be no confusion. Are you, or are you not a creationist?

If the answer to the above question is 'Yes, I am a creationist," are you a Christian creationist?

lol, that is my bad, sorry about my spelling and grammar today

but

jewish dont believe in the bible?
do they not also believe god created the world?
or muslims?

now your being biased, i guess everyone that believe god created the world is a christian creationist

lol, that is my bad, sorry about my spelling and grammar today

but

jewish dont believe in the bible?
do they not also believe god created the world?
or muslims?

now your being biased, i guess everyone that believe god created the world is a christian creationist

No. If I believed that I wouldn't have asked the question, which, I might add, you still haven't answered.

I will, however, slightly rephrase it, or at least the second part.

Are you or are you not a creationist using the Bible as the basis for your beliefs. There, better?

now your being biased, i guess everyone that believe god created the world is a christian creationist

Statistically, your chance of being Christian is around 35%. Your chance of being Muslim is significantly less. Other religions are negligable. Also, Christians tend to flaunt their religion much more than others, especially within the US.

No. If I believed that I wouldn't have asked the question, which, I might add, you still haven't answered.

I will, however, slightly rephrase it, or at least the second part.

Are you or are you not a creationist using the Bible as the basis for your beliefs. There, better?

sort of

and to answer your question, sort of.
i will explain if this thread continues later,
but for now i have to go

P.S. And I'm not so sure, but isn't there some sort of tube from within the ear that leads to like, the nose or something?

The eustachian tube drains into the nasal area, though I'm not entirely sure where. Apparently if you have a cold you shouldn't blow your nose too hard because it can send virus laden guck up the eustachian tube. It could cause an ear infection or something. I think someone told me that...

The eustachian tube drains into the nasal area, though I'm not entirely sure where. Apparently if you have a cold you shouldn't blow your nose too hard because it can send virus laden guck up the eustachian tube. It could cause an ear infection or something. I think someone told me that...

That would explain why when I get a cold my ear often gets foggy.

That would explain why when I get a cold my ear often gets foggy.

Maybe. Though I think now that it might actually drain into the throat... Then again the nose attaches to the throat too. Huh. I dunno! Either way, the ears ARE attached to areas through which we breath.

Maybe. Though I think now that it might actually drain into the throat... Then again the nose attaches to the throat too. Huh. I dunno! Either way, the ears ARE attaches to areas through which we breath.
Of course they are. Close your mouth, pinch your nose shut, and try to inhale or exhale. You'll feel it in your ears. It might not be reallysafe though. I could imagine someone exhaling hard enough to rupture an ear drum.

That would explain why when I get a cold my ear often gets foggy.

Ever noticed how doctors check your ear when you have a bad cold?

Ever noticed how doctors check your ear when you have a bad cold?

Haven't had a cold bad enough to go to the doctor since I twas a small child. Didn't think much about it then.

may I ask how old is the theory ear is please. Sorry I found an article about it on the Natural History Museums website

so where was the article published then?

Sorry, had to step away for a bit. It was originally published in The Washington Post, and re-published in The Week Magazine.

Ah. I like the week myself, but I must have missed this one.

Are all creationists as learning disabled as that? Is that the root of the problem? Can it be that you guys just can't make sense of things that you read?
It would appear that they aren't used to reading, they're used to having it told/force-fed to them. Reading (including their own source book!) is too much work and requires a dichotomy of thinking that doesn't jibe with their abandoned sense of disbelief. *nods*

I've read Genesis. It's the first book in the bible. What's genises? Genesis contains two different creation stories that contradict each other. The whole Rib and Mud thing comes from the fact that the divinely inspired truthfull book can't get it's story straight.
Isn't Genesis also the name of that new super-cruiser project, as well as that proto-matter-matrix hyperterraformer that Khan blew up over in the Mutara Nebula?

(Article is not from an online source)

"By examining fossils from a prehistoric fish, two Swedish scinetists have concluded that our ears evolved from an organ once used for breathing.

The fish, Panderichthys (http://www.devoniantimes.org/Order/re-panderichthys.html), was a precursor to the first tetrapod, the animal that crawled onto land and eventually spawned all four legged vertebrates, including humans. A bottom dweller, Panderichthys had a spiracle, a tube for breathing water through the top of its head while its face was buried in mud. From the spiracle's anatomy and its position in the head relative to the fish's unusually short jaw bone--a known ancestor to the modern ear's stirrup bone--scientists deduced that it was a precursor to a fully developed middle ear.

"It is a great fill-in-the-gap story that shows a nice transition stage at an important point in evolution," zoology curator Mark Westneat tells The Washington Post. "The finding," he says, "is a repudiation to the claim by advocates of intelligent design that the ear is so complicated that it could only have been created by the hand of god..."


Interesting news indeed:)

There is actually a theory of human evolution that claims people went through a semi-aquatic phase while evolving. It was based on what the original proponent, Sir Alister Hardy, called the diver reflex. When a person's face is exposed to water while diving, most of the body's blood supply is cut off, except for the blood going to the brain, heart and muscles. It occurs in other sea mammals like seals and whales, but humans are the only primates that have this reflex.

Hardy's theory has most recently been written about by Elaine Morgan in The Scars of Evolution.

you havnt read genises have you (btw im not a creationist as most would describe a creationist) eve was not only made by the rib, but also mud, and had the breathe of life breathed in her by god

So...Eve was history's first blow-up doll?

I had to control my surprised expression there....didn't want to look like Eve.

So...Eve was history's first blow-up doll?

I had to control my surprised expression there....didn't want to look like Eve.
:eek:

an organ that our ears evolved from was used to breath, associative property we went from breathing to hearing through this organ, we breathed through what we call today "ears"

What are known today as "ears" did not, at the time, exist.

What are known today as "ears" did not, at the time, exist.

In an excellent case of irony, Creationists seem to lose the ability to listen...

"tetrapod" .. 'nuff said.

Vegetarianistica']"tetrapod" .. 'nuff said.

...

Umm....not really....no....what are you saying?


P.S. Unless your saying it had four feet, in which case, yes, enough has been said.

As posted on SciAm ... i figgered it'd be somewhat pertinent ...


*ahem*

Study Suggests Clay Paved the Way for Evolution of Complex Animals
Roughly 550 million years ago the first complex animals, such as trilobites, appear in the fossil record. Many scientists have concluded that an increase in the amount of atmospheric oxygen was critical to the relatively sudden evolution of these animals. They knew that photosynthetic organisms had been producing oxygen for hundreds of millions of years, but what might have led to the apparently rapid accumulation of the stuff in the atmosphere was a mystery. Now a team of researchers argues that clay may have played a key role.
Geologist Martin Kennedy and his colleagues from the University of California, Riverside realized that clay minerals in marine sediments are responsible for trapping the organic carbon that would otherwise bond with highly reactive oxygen. Today such clay minerals form in soil when organisms such as microbes or fungi interact with tiny bits of weathered rock. The resultant clay then washes down to the sea and settles on the bottom, where the clay's chemical properties actively attract organic carbon and then absorb it, much like kitty litter. The scientists reasoned that this so-called clay mineral factory might have produced the sharp rise in oxygen availability that preceded the flowering of complex life forms.
"We predicted we would only find a significant percentage of clay minerals in sediments toward the end of the Precambrian, when complex life arose, while earlier sediments would have less clay content," Kennedy explains. "Because clay minerals make up the bulk of sediment deposited today, we are saying that it should be largely absent in ancient rocks."
The scientists turned to one of the world's oldest outcroppings of ancient sedimentary rock, located in Australia. The oldest layers from around 850 million years ago are largely composed of silt, or rock bits that have undergone little chemical reaction. Around 600 million years ago, however, clay makes its appearance in this rock record. Outcroppings in China and Norway confirmed the rough chronology.


Other data sources also nearly match. For example, rock records of an isotope of strontium--87Sr--seem to show an increase in so-called chemical weathering, or weathering that is not simply the result of rain or other natural but not life-related processes. "Exactly when the terrestrial surface gets covered by some kind of organism, probably single cell, is not really well understood," Kennedy notes. "That's what our study is addressing."
In other words, microbes and possibly even fungi colonized the surface of the earth at this point in time, leading to the beginnings of a soil system that still functions today. One of the byproducts of that soil system was clay, which eroded down to the sea, trapped organic carbon and thus freed oxygen to percolate into the atmosphere. "The resulting six-fold increase in oxygen would have significantly influenced biogeochemical cycling of [oxidation] sensitive elements such as and [sulfur] and ultimately increased the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere," the team writes in a paper published online today by the journal Science. "The evolutionary innovation and expansion of land biota could permanently increase [chemical] weathering intensity and [clay] formation, establishing a new level of organic carbon burial and oxygen accumulation." --David Biello
----------
[I]and

Clay Could Have Encouraged First Cells to Form

While many armchair philosophers are searching for the meaning of life, researchers are hard at work investigating the origins of life on Earth. New findings suggest that a lump of clay could have provided a platform for the formation of primordial cells.
Previous research indicated that chemicals found in so-called montmorillonite clay could catalyze reactions involved in constructing RNA from nucleotides. Martin M. Hanczyc, Shelly M. Fujikawa and Jack W. Szostak of Massachusetts General Hospital determined that the clay could also encourage fatty acids to form small fluid-filled sacs known as vesicles. Indeed, vesicles developed 100 times faster in the presence of clay than they did without it, suggesting that clay could have "greatly facilitated the emergence of the first cells," the authors write in today's issue of the journal Science. (In the image above, the red indicates RNA that is attached to clay particles encapsulated within a vesicle.) Once forged, the vesicles grew by incorporating additional fatty acids. The scientists also caused the sacs to divide by forcing them through small pores, a process that the vesicles survived without losing their contents.
"Now that we have a proof-of-principle that growth and division is possible in a purely physical-chemical system, we are working on a way to get this cycle to function in a way that is more natural," Szostak notes. "Clearly, there are a lot of complicated and interesting processes going on here, and how this pathway leads to biological systems is not at all straightforward." --Sarah Graham