Flaws responsible for complex life, study says.

Quote:
Tiny structural errors in proteins may have been responsible for changes that sparked complex life, researchers say.

A comparison of proteins across 36 modern species suggests that protein flaws called "dehydrons" may have made proteins less stable in water.

This would have made them more adhesive and more likely to end up working together, building up complex function.

The Nature study adds weight to the idea that natural selection is not the only means by which complexity rises.

@ThePainefulTruth Said

Why is that not natural selection?

@ThePainefulTruth Said

Why is that not natural selection?

@SparklyKatie Said

Because the flaws created complex (multi-celled) life but single celled organisms didn't become extinct.

I think.

@Asme251 Said

Natural selection doesn't necessitate other organisms to go extinct. Natural selection can occur within a species if those with a certain trait gain an increased chance of survival and that trait ends up being a dominant allele within the gene pool.

@SparklyKatie Said

Yeah but the jump from single celled to multi celled life was far bigger than anything since. Again I think.

I watched a documentary a while back that said the development from single to multi cell organisms was the most significant event in the history of life on Earth.

@SparklyKatie Said

Yeah but the jump from single celled to multi celled life was far bigger than anything since. Again I think.

I watched a documentary a while back that said the development from single to multi cell organisms was the most significant event in the history of life on Earth.

@Asme251 Said

Yeah, most probably! It was a pretty big deal. So big that it perhaps created new species, which could make natural selection an irrelevant process in this case. I kind of see your point.

@ThePainefulTruth Said

Isn't that natural selection?