Diagram of Biomolecules Between Sheets of Mica (IMAGE)

U.S. National Science Foundation

Diagram of Biomolecules Between Sheets of Mica

Caption

This is a diagram of biomolecules between sheets of mica in a primitive ocean. The green lines depict mica sheets and the gray structures depict various ancient biological molecules and fatty vesicles. In the "between the sheets" mica hypothesis, water may have moved in and out of the spaces between stacks of sheets, thereby forcing the sheets to move up and down. This kind of energy may have ultimately pushed biological molecules and/or fatty acids together to form cells.

Credit

Helen Greenwood Hansma, University of California, Santa Barbara

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