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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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10 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Electromagnetic Basis of Metabolism and Heredity

Living organisms control their cellular biological clocks to maintain functional oscillation of the redox cycle, also called the "metabolic cycle" or "respiratory cycle". Organization of cellular processes requires parallel processing on a synchronized time-base. These clocks coordinate the timing of all biochemical processes in the cell, including energy production, DNA replication, and RNA transcription. When this universal time keeping function is perturbed by exogenous induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the rate of metabolism changes. This causes oxidative stress, aging and mutations. Therefore, good temporal coordination of the redox cycle not only actively prevents chemical conflict between the reductive and oxidative partial reactions; it also maintains genome integrity and lifespan. Moreover, this universal biochemical rhythm can be disrupted by ROS induction in vivo. This in turn can be achieved by blocking the electron transport chain either endogenously or exogenously by various metabolites, e.g. hydrogen sulfide (H2S), highly diffusible drugs, and carbon monoxide (CO). Alternatively, the electron transport in vivo can be attenuated via a coherent or interfering transfer of energy from exogenous ultralow frequency (ULF) and extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic (EM) fields, suggesting that-on Earth-such ambient fields are an omnipresent (and probably crucially important) factor for the time-setting basis of universal biochemical reactions in living cells. Our work demonstrated previously un-described evidence for quantum effects in biology by electromagnetic coupling below thermal noise at the universal electron transport chain (ETC) in vivo.

Electromagnetic↗
NASA NTRS1966

Molecules and Evolution

Biochemical basis of evolution - evolution and DNA, genetic code, microbiology and heredity, mutations, and evolution and hemoglobins

GENETIC CODE↗
NASA NTRS1981

Recent progress in exobiology and planetary biology

Recent work in the fields of exobiology, the study of the possible characteristics of extraterrestrial life, and planetary biology, the study of life forms as a function of planetary conditions, is reviewed. Searches conducted for life on Mars by the Viking Landers and on Titan by Voyager 1 are considered, and the origin of life on earth is considered in relation to the question of the inorganic trace elements in living systems that are required for life. The question of the origin of terrestrial life from spores carried through the interstellar medium is examined, and the unlikelihood of the survival of such spores except within meteorites or dust particles is pointed out. Studies of organic molecules present in the interstellar medium are indicated as evidence that the conditions necessary for the formation of life can exist in various locations throughout the universe. Investigations of the molecular evolution of life on earth and of life under extreme conditions of heat, cold, drought and ultraviolet radiation, and of the organic compounds found in meteorites and comets are also discussed. The importance of a mechanism of heredity, such as terrestrial DNA, to the evolution of terrestrial and possible extraterrestrial life is pointed out.

Jukes, T. H.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Letter to Dr. Felix Bronner

Dear Dr. Bronner: I have been reading in The Physiologist the letters from senior physiologists for many years with great interest. It is impressive that many of the respondents are still pursuing scientific endeavours in their 70's and some even in their 80's. The interesting task is to ponder the relative causative proportions of heredity and environment responsible. One wonders whether knowing something about physiology engenders longer and more productive lives? I suspect so because of the accompanying self-discipline. But another factor would seem to be the pervasive joy of working in this profession. I have been fortunate to be able to acquire the joy of physiology during my graduate studies at Illinois, and to have been able to carry it over here at NASA, Ames Research Center for the past 40 years. A truly academic style research environment at a federal research center is rare. The trick to a joyous research career is to overcome those ever-present slings and arrows of outrageous fortune with dignity whenever possible. To that end I have found solace and guidance in reading the history of warfare and its leaders, especially Sun Tsu's The Art of War and Clauswitz's On War. I became eligible for retirement in 1993, but to insure domestic tranquility and also the joy of pursuing my research hobby have continued working in the laboratory on human research. It is troubling to see that funding for individual scientists conducting human research is declining rapidly, along with their new ideas; perhaps the old ones are more comfortable. Hopefully I can provide a similar response when I'm 80! Thanks for your interest. Sincerely, John Greenleaf

Greenleaf, John E.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Tissue Doppler Imaging Combined with Advanced 12-Lead ECG Analysis Might Improve Early Diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Childhood

Optimization of early diagnosis of childhood hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is essential in lowering the risk of HCM complications. Standard echocardiography (ECHO) has shown to be less sensitive in this regard. In this study, we sought to assess whether spatial QRS-T angle deviation, which has shown to predict HCM in adults with high sensitivity, and myocardial Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) could be additional tools in early diagnosis of HCM in childhood. Methods: Children and adolescents with familial HCM (n=10, median age 16, range 5-27 years), and without obvious hypertrophy but with heredity for HCM (n=12, median age 16, range 4-25 years, HCM or sudden death with autopsy-verified HCM in greater than or equal to 1 first-degree relative, HCM-risk) were additionally investigated with TDI and advanced 12-lead ECG analysis using Cardiax(Registered trademark) (IMED Co Ltd, Budapest, Hungary and Houston). Spatial QRS-T angle (SA) was derived from Kors regression-related transformation. Healthy age-matched controls (n=21) were also studied. All participants underwent thorough clinical examination. Results: Spatial QRS-T angle (Figure/ Panel A) and septal E/Ea ratio (Figure/Panel B) were most increased in HCM group as compared to the HCM-risk and control groups (p less than 0.05). Of note, these 2 variables showed a trend toward higher levels in HCM-risk group than in control group (p=0.05 for E/Ea and 0.06 for QRS/T by ANOVA). In a logistic regression model, increased SA and septal E/Ea ratio appeared to significantly predict both the disease (Chi-square in HCM group: 9 and 5, respectively, p less than 0.05 for both) and the risk for HCM (Chi-square in HCM-risk group: 5 and 4 respectively, p less than 0.05 for both), with further increased predictability level when these 2 variables were combined (Chi-square 10 in HCM group, and 7 in HCM-risk group, p less than 0.01 for both). Conclusions: In this small material, Tissue Doppler Imaging and spatial mean QRS-T angle deviation, particularly when combined, appear to be sensitive in predicting the risk for developing childhood HCM. Large-scale, prospective studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Femlund, E.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Adaptation of Organisms by Resonance of RNA Transcription with the Cellular Redox Cycle

Sequence variation in organisms differs across the genome and the majority of mutations are caused by oxidation, yet its origin is not fully understood. It has also been shown that the reduction-oxidation reaction cycle is the fundamental biochemical cycle that coordinates the timing of all biochemical processes in that cell, including energy production, DNA replication, and RNA transcription. It is shown that the temporal resonance of transcriptome biosynthesis with the oscillating binary state of the reduction-oxidation reaction cycle serves as a basis for non-random sequence variation at specific genome-wide coordinates that change faster than by accumulation of chance mutations. This work demonstrates evidence for a universal, persistent and iterative feedback mechanism between the environment and heredity, whereby acquired variation between cell divisions can outweigh inherited variation.

Stolc, Viktor↗
NASA NTRS2015

Induction of Oxidation in Living Cells by Time-Varying Electromagnetic Fields

We are studying how biological systems can harness quantum effects of time varying electromagnetic (EM) waves as the time-setting basis for universal biochemical organization via the redox cycle. The effects of extremely weak EM field on the biochemical redox cycle can be monitored through real-time detection of oxidation-induced light emissions of reporter molecules in living cells. It has been shown that EM fields can also induce changes in fluid transport rates through capillaries (approximately 300 microns inner diameter) by generating annular proton gradients. This effect may be relevant to understanding cardiovascular dis-function in spaceflight, beyond the ionosphere. Importantly, we show that these EM effects can be attenuated using an active EM field cancellation device. Central for NASA's Human Research Program is the fact that the absence of ambient EM field in spaceflight can also have a detrimental influence, namely via increased oxidative damage, on DNA replication, which controls heredity.

oxidation↗