How would radiation effect evolution?

A

atreides1977

Registered Member
Ok if you haven't seen my thread on fission/fusion stars then here's the just of it. A star can carry out nuclear fission instead of fusion. Well assuming that happens how would the radiation effect evolution on that planets star? If ET evolved what would it be like?
 
Both fission and fusion give off ionizing radiation. As long as we are talking about life on an earth like planet then we have magnetosphere protecting us from solar wind and charged particles, we have a atmosphere protecting us form gamma, X-rays and neutron radiation, we have (hopefully) Ozone protecting us from UV. If radiation does induce mutations and more of it the faster evolution is… to a point, it would be a detriment to multi-cellular life forms because they need there genetic information to remain stable so that the cells can remain organized and constructive. On a planet with higher radiation exposure then we have the higher life there would most likely have very complex and efficient genetic check mechanisms perhaps multiple gene cross checking, recombination and correction or even more hypothetically triple or quadruple helix nucleic acid (TNA QNA as opposed DNA)

By the way how do you have a fission star? Would need a whole lot of uranium!
 
evolution

the rate of evolution for earth organisms is not dependent upon mutation rate, but on rate of regeneration. organisms on earth (in fact even genes or nucleotide sites within genes) have different evolutionary rates, without different environmental effects on mutation rates. organisms with higher regeneration rates (e.g. bacteria) have higher rates of evolution.

that being said, evolution requires variability that's heritable.

IF our sun is that source of our genetic variability then solar characteristics would affect evolution indirectly as the variability upon which selection acts would be absent.
 
WellCookedFetus, see my thread fission/fusion stars in Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology it explains every thing.

so your telling me that life could evolve on the planet if it were earth like... what if it were more like Mars, or venus? What if it were a gas giant like jupiter or a cold rock like pluto? What then?
 
atreides1977,

Then the life would be vary different: on Venus or Mars like planet it would never evolve into higher life forms because the environment is to harsh, perhaps the same for a Jupiter like planets depending on long the retention time is for upper atmosphere gaseous before they are cycled through the lower atmosphere.

paulsamuel,

Russia has used radiation the make new strains of anthrax, it seem that it does increase the gene pool of asexual life.
 
wellcooked

so? are you implying that environmental mutational effects are anything more than a source of variation upon which selection can act? if you are, then you need to study more about evolution and what it is?

P.S. If you are going to cite specific scientific studies, you ought to reference them.
 
Yes I was only implying that it was a source of variation, you have a problem with that?

I can only refrence to The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, becasue finding a refrence on the net is not easy, you have to search through so much garbage.
 
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no way a star is going to get energy from fission: the generation of anything heavier than iron costs energy.

fission/fusion: hardly any difference in radiation that arrives at the surface.
higher levels of radiation, in general would result in faster adaptation to selective pressure
cheers, Bart
 
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