Predictive Biology?

BISMARCK · #1 (**permalink**) 04-June-2008, 10:11 PM

Is it feasible or even possible? Here's what I mean: in physics, there were several kinds of objects that were predicted to exist before we ever had any observational evidence to suggest that they do exist. Black holes, various types of quarks, and maybe even the Higgs boson once the LHC is fired up. So it has been possible for scientists to anticipate the properties of a thing purely by math and logic.

My question is, is this kind of predictive work possible with biology? People talk about alternative chemistry for organisms, such as silicon and ammonia. Is it possible for anyone to actually try to work out how a hypothetical silicon "cell" or basic lifeform would actually work?

sarongsong · #2 (**permalink**) 05-June-2008, 12:17 AM

The NSF and NASA seem to be interested:

Quote:

October 31, 2005
...Ward believes that if life is found away from Earth, at least some could be based on elements such as silicon, perhaps in combination with carbon. Because environments are far colder on moons and planets farther from the sun, he said, it is less likely that life on the moons of Saturn and Jupiter, for instance, will use water as Earth life does. Instead, those organisms are more likely to use compounds such as ammonia that remain liquid at very low temperatures. Ward is one of several faculty members in the UW's groundbreaking graduate program in astrobiology. The program, the first of its kind, started in 1998 with a grant from the National Science Foundation and has since been bolstered by funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Students work in a variety of areas, such as astronomy, microbiology and oceanography, to prepare themselves for the search for life away from Earth...
physorg

BISMARCK · #3 (**permalink**) 05-June-2008, 12:46 AM

Interesting. Thanks.

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