19 THE RISE OF LIFE
or each common amino acid).
1opull t order? Effectively forever. Evenif you reduced to typical number of amino acids for a protein, t all ty-turally occurring amino acids kno discovery,but only ty of to produce us and most oty-second, calledpyrrolysine, e University and is found only in a single type ofarc tle furtory) called Methanosarcina barkeri.
prescribed sequence are 1 in 10260(t is a 1 follo in itself is a largernumber toms in the universe.
Proteins, in s, are complex entities. byprotein standards, yet even it offers 10190possible amino acid combinations, y c Max Perutz ty-to unravel it. For random events to produce even a single protein unning improbability—like a ronomer Fred hoyle.
Yet alking about several ypes of protein, peral to tenance of a sound and goes on from tein to be of use must not only assemble amino acids in tsequence, but t engage in a kind of cself into a veryspecific sructural complexity, a protein is no good to you ifit can’t reproduce itself, and proteins can’t. For treplicating—it can make a copy of itself in seconds—but can do virtually notuation. Proteins can’t exist DNA, and DNA proteins. Are o assume t taneously ing eacher? If so: wow.
And till. DNA, proteins, and ts of life couldn’t prosper some sort of membrane to contain tom or molecule ly. Pluck any atom from your body, and it is no more alive than is a grain of sand.
It is only uring refuge of a cell t terials can take part in t teresting c