Recent comments in /f/askscience

Xilon-Diguus t1_j3degrc wrote

Reply to comment by kappusha in Is there abiotic way of mononucleotide polymerization? by kappusha

Yes, they can form abiotically and spontaneously, it just requires energy input from the environment (ie heat) at some stage. Also, keep in mind that diphosphates also have energetically favorable dephosphorylation reactions, they just do not work for the biotic enzyme for DNA synthesis.

If you get too deep down this rabbit hole you are going to need a chemist to answer your questions, but here is a review of how the field currently thinks it may have happened.

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FlyingDesktop t1_j3d9xo8 wrote

Reply to Do people that frequently have Lipomas and other types of benign tumors have a higher chance of developing cancer in the future? by bobtherealbobbb

In some cases, yes. For example having a lot of nevi on your body is considered an increased risk of developing malignant melanoma. Also, certain conditions that manifest in mulitple benign neoplasms also predispose to cancer. Familial adenomatous polyposis, and xeroderma pigmentosus for example.

I dont think growing some extra lipomas are any riskfactor for cancer in general, and frankly having some extras benignies in different tissues dont give an increased risk for cancer generally as far as i know. The examples i can think of is more specific conditions with a mutation affecting certain organ tissues.

But its an interesting question, it is certainly possible. But it would be difficult to study, as there are many benignies on the body, and some tissues have more than others, how to quantify and qualify "lots of benignies". Furthermore tie it to certain cancers. Cancer is a grouo of very different diseases

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kappusha OP t1_j3cx6yt wrote

Reply to comment by Xilon-Diguus in Is there abiotic way of mononucleotide polymerization? by kappusha

>Yes, as a general rule if it can happen with an enzyme it can happen without an enzyme, enzymes just help things along.

As far as I know it can happen between only nucleoside triphosphates, but not between nucleoside monophosphate. And nucleoside monophosphate can't become nucleoside triphosphates without enzymes abiotically. If I'm wrong correct me.

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SamQuan236 t1_j3ct8x5 wrote

Reply to Is there a chemical that produces heat when compressed? by Wulphram

Ever use a pump to inflate a tyre? I've given myself small burns by underestimating how much heat was released by gas compression. When you release the pressure, the gas cools, like when using a spray can - it can also get very cold.

Different gasses will change temperatures at different rates when pressurised, this is given by the Joule Thompson coefficient Hydrogen is a notable one, as it has a negative coefficient (i.e. it does the opposite of most gasses) near room conditions.

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Greyswandir t1_j3clakl wrote

Reply to How does DNA encode 3d space/information? by Rit2Strong

You’re both over and under thinking this lol. So, your DNA encode a ton of information that ultimately determines a lot about your body’s morphology. But that information isn’t a “picture” of what you’ll look like. There’s no coordinate system and your DNA doesn’t “know” where the tip of your nose will be or what your eye color is, etc. Generally speaking your DNA doesn’t know anything about macroscopic space or encode any information about it. DNA directly encodes tiny little parts and machines, and those parts and machines work together in a way that is vastly more complex than the DNA “knows” about.

To give a simple view: DNA codes for proteins in units called codons. Each codon is three bases of the DNA chain (the A, C, G, and T letters you’ve probably seen) and which of those bases appear in what order defines the meaning of the codon. Through a process called transcription and translation, the codon is used to pick a chemical called an amino acid. There are 20 possible amino acids (in humans). The DNA tells the cell which amino acids to assemble in what order. The chain of assembled amino acids folds into a protein (often along with other chains) based on what amino acids go in what order. The proteins do all kinds of things but they’re not smart, they’re structural building blocks or simple machines. But the interplay of simple machines can lead to extremely complex behaviors (like “grow a nose”).

Imagine we have a first protein that sits on the surface of the cell. It bends one way if it’s touching something and bends another if it’s not. We have a second protein that checks the bend of those first proteins and triggers a signal to grow if it’s bent touching something. Now we have a simple little system which means that the cells will grow across an object (like the bottom of a Petri dish) but stop when they run out of room for each cell to be touching the dish. A relatively complex spatial behavior from two simple parts*

And cells are way, way, way more complicated than this, with tons and tons of interlocking signal pathways.

*to be clear: I made the parts and their functions up for my example to just illustrate how the proteins can lead to a spatial behavior without the DNA knowing anything about space. Growing to confluence is a real behavior in many cells, but frankly it’s been a long time since I took cell bio and I don’t remember the exact mechanism.

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Item_Successful t1_j3c7zix wrote

Reply to comment by pyro5050 in Do people that frequently have Lipomas and other types of benign tumors have a higher chance of developing cancer in the future? by bobtherealbobbb

You are far more likely to have a benign condition than a genetic multi-tumour syndrome which risks malignancy.

That being said, if you have any other risk factors, e.g. family history or personal history of other tumours, you may need to see a genetic service who can screen for the relevant mutations.

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