Encore Books

13 Jan 1994

                                                         THEORIGIN OF LIFE

RobertC. Newman

 

Introduction:

 

            Questionof cause:  Dice or deity? Chance ordesign?

            Whatdo we mean by science?

                        Methoddefinition: no supernatural allowed

                        Goaldefinition: trying to find out truth

                        Ifthe supernatural exists (and does anything), then these definitions are notequivalent.

            Recognizingthe presence of mind in scientific research

                        archaeology/anthropology:arrowhead?

                        searchfor ET intelligence: radio signal?

                        prob10,000 bits sufficient to recognize in either case

                        simplestbacteria has 1012 bits = 100 million pp Encyclopaedia Britannica

            What'swrong with the naturalistic alternative?

 

Formation of Proteins:

 

            Miller-Ureyexperiment 1953; frequently repeated under various conditions

                        --have yet to produce 2 of 20 amino acids in any such experiment

                                    Arginine,Histidine

                        --regularly produce lots of other amino acids not in 20

                        --produce lots of other stuff that would interfere with following steps

                        --need reducing atmosphere (less than 1% oxygen)

                                    butphoto dissociation of H2O creates a problem here

                        --polarity of amino acids (all left handed)

           

Formation of Nucleic Acids:

 

            RobertShapiro, "Improbability of Prebiotic Nucleic Acid Synthesis"

            RobertShapiro, Origins: A SkepticÕs Guide to the Cretion of Life on Earth, 182ff:

                        --get low yields even with pure chemicals

                        --need drastically different conditions for various

                                    steps:acidity, temperature, catalysts

                        --competing reactions (IPNAS, 569bottom)

                        --how do nucleotides find each other?

 

The Problem of Self-Replication:

 

            SeeNewman and Byl articles in Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith:

                        Formationtime for simple self-replicator estimated at about 1079 years.

                        Chanceof happening since big bang is 10-69.

 

The Problem of Bootstrapping:

 

            Evolutionistsassume that life can get from simplest   possibleto simplest ever observed by mutation & natural selection, but no evidencethis will produce complex mechanisms from simple ones.

 

            Analogyof producing meaningful text by randomly adding & changing letters, evenwith natural selection.

 

The Problem of Information:

 

            Easyto solve this with a mind behind the universe; seems impossible without.

                        (seeHubert P. Yockey, Information Theory and Molecular Biology [Cambridge, 1992]).

 

            Chesterton(Orthodoxy, 41):"The Christian is quite free to believe that there is a considerableamount of settled order and inevitable development in the universe.  But the materialist is not allowed toadmit into his spotless machine the slightest speck of spiritualism ormiracle."