EVOLUTION OF LIFE ON EARTH MAY HOLD KEY
TO FINDING LIFE IN OUTER SPACE
Extremophiles Explored by UH Scientists Showcased
in ‘Fantasy Worlds’ Planetarium Exhibit
HOUSTON, Aug. 12, 2005 – Questions about the existence of
life in outer space may have a surprisingly close-to-home answer,
according to one University of Houston professor.
Understanding how life evolved on Earth is important in obtaining
clues as to where else in the universe one might find life and what
it might be like, said George E. Fox, a UH professor of biology
and biochemistry. Fox is finishing work on a three-year research
grant from NASA’s Exobiology Program that seeks to understand
life’s origin.
In addition to his Earth-based research, Fox collaborated with the
Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) on a film project that
explores the possibilities of life on other planets. Partially funded
by an education and public outreach supplement to Fox’s NASA
grant, the joint production between HMNS and UH, called “Fantasy
Worlds: Exploring the Limits of Life,” is playing at the Burke
Baker Planetarium at HMNS until December.
“Fantasy Worlds” explores extreme environments of Earth
for a rare glimpse at microbes known as extremophiles that thrive
in environments once thought too extreme to sustain life. Given
the intense conditions under which these microbes are able to exist
on Earth, the likelihood of finding life in outer space also increases.
In “Fantasy Worlds,” for each type of extremophile found,
animators created a parallel imaginary alien planet on which these
microbes are likely to thrive rather than just survive, allowing
audiences to explore the types of alien worlds where scientists
may one day find real alien life.
“All known living organisms on Earth share various biochemical
properties, such as the same genetic code, the same major amino
acids in proteins, and – with minor exceptions – the
use of DNA or occasionally RNA as genetic material,” Fox said.
“This suggests life had a single origin from an earlier ‘prebiotic’
world, and research in NASA’s Exobiology Program seeks to
understand how this happened. The results of this type of research
also help guide the search for life elsewhere in the universe, which
is an important NASA objective.”
The goal of Fox’s grant – “The Origins of Translation
and Early Evolution of Life” – is to understand when
and how the ribosome (or cellular protein synthesis machinery) came
into existence. Cellular protein synthesis is the process whereby
RNA copies genetic information from DNA and translates it into proteins
that are essential to the structure and function of all living cells
and viruses and play a role in immune response. Fox and his group
are examining the various components of the ribosome machinery trying
to learn what parts came first and what was added later.
“Since many of the components of the ribosome are shared
by all organisms, we know this machinery is very, very old,”
Fox said. “If we can discover the earliest aspects, then scientists
may be able to devise experiments to see how simple RNAs might have
given rise to this machinery. This information would help us to
better understand how life evolved on Earth and how ribosomes actually
work, which remains a fundamental problem in biochemistry.”
One of only a small number of groups in the nation working on the
history and evolution of the core ribosomal machinery, Fox and his
team of scientists focus on comparing the sequences and 3-D shapes
of biological molecules. Their research benefits greatly from the
many ongoing genome sequencing projects.
“We do a lot of what is called bioinformatics, comparing
molecules from different organisms,” he said.
Fox’s group recently received notification of two new NASA
awards. One, from the Exobiology Program, will extend the work on
translation to look for evidence of the RNA world preserved in extant
genomes. The other, from NASA’s Astrobiology Science and Technology
Instrument Development Program, will conduct research to develop
tests for the presence of living microorganisms that can be conducted
robotically on other planetary bodies, including Mars.
Fox earned his bachelor’s degree and his doctorate in chemical
engineering from Syracuse University. Coming to UH in 1977, Fox
has held numerous positions and, in addition to being a professor
of biology and biochemistry in the College of Natural Sciences and
Mathematics, he is an adjunct professor of chemical engineering
in the Cullen College of Engineering. The author or co-author of
more than 110 peer-reviewed publications, Fox has received numerous
honors and awards for his research. He is an elected fellow of the
American Academy of Microbiology, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Medical and
Biological Engineering. As a postdoctoral researcher with Carl Woese
at the University of Illinois, Fox was involved in discovering the
existence of a third kingdom of life now known as the Archaea. This
discovery is regarded as one of the major breakthroughs in biology
in the last 100 years.
A combined UH/NASA night with two free screenings of “Fantasy
Worlds” for UH students, faculty and staff and NASA employees
will be held 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 23, at the museum. Otherwise,
tickets for the show are $5 for adults, $3.50 for children (3-11)
and seniors (62+) and $3 for Museum Members. For tickets information,
visit www.hmns.org or call 713-639-4629.
SOURCE: Fox, 713-743- 8363; fox@uh.edu
Web page: http://prion.bchs.uh.edu/1/
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