The Evolution and Origin of Life |
| This web site explores origin
of life theories starting with prebiotic evolution and the primordial soup, followed
by self replicating RNA molecules and the RNA world and finally the
evolution of the first genes and proteins. Much of the material on this site is taken from
two sources: The Mystery of Life's Origin: Reassessing Current Theories and The
RNA World. The first is an excellent review of origin of life experiments and
primordial evolution. These authors make several interesting observations and conclusions:
1) most origin experiments are so marred by investigator interference that they are
meaningless 2) the laws of chemistry and physics preclude the existence of the primordial
soup 3) energy sources do not overcome the laws of thermodynamics because they are more
often that not destructive. The second resource explains many of the issues associated
with RNA self replication and really calls into to question whether or not the RNA world
ever existed. This site will also make several novel contributions to the origins debate: 1) The first living organism can not be simple because it must know how to use energy
to self replicate. That energy source will be destructive unless mechanisms are in place
to couple replication to the energy source. I have also written a few computer programs to model evolution. These programs illustrate how natural selection and chance work together to create new useful information (knowledge). The programs show that it is easy to create new knowledge (in a gene) by rearranging existing knowledge (in other genes). And at the same time, the programs show that it is almost impossible to do the same when starting from scratch (as would be the case for all origin theories). When Stanley Miller synthesized amino acids in a spark chamber, I think that scientists everywhere thought that the mystery of life's origin would soon be solved. But 60 years later it seems that science is further from an answer not closer. So it is worth taking a step back making sure that all readers understand the nature of science and evolution versus a competing theory known as intelligent design (the concept that God is responsible for the origin and evolution of life and thus it is possible to infer such design from the scientific evidence). Today, the origin of life and the evolution of the first genes and proteins offer more support for intelligent design than they do for purely naturalistic creation theories. I guess one can always hope that science will solve the mystery in the future. |
The Galapagos Islands |
| I visit the Galapagos island
regularly because it offers some of the best diving in the world. Because of these
trips, this web site is loaded with pictures and movies of what I have seen there.
The vast majority of the pictures and videos are from underwater marine life - everything
from batfish and sea robbins to hammer heads and whale sharks. Unlike Charles Darwin,
I am lucky in that I can return as often as I like. So if it is not already,
this web site will eventually be one of the best places on the web to see pictures and
video from the Galapagos. Almost every page on this web site generates a random picture
from the Galapagos, and the header of this page has links to movies, pictures
and even a Galapagos
slideshow. For those with high speed internet, you can view Galapagos videos
here. For the Galapagos
slide show click here. There are also 12 picture
galleries - see the link in the header beside and under Galapagos pictures.
|
The RNA World and the Origin of Life? |
| Does RNA self replication
really explain the origin of life and could natural selection drive the evolution of these
replicating molecules? The top half of the picture below is a conceptual model of RNA self replication. Energy sources alone do not enable self replication. The car in the bottom half of the picture has an energy source (the sun). Yet is cannot move because the car's gasoline engine does not know how to use this energy source. Without the knowledge to couple an energy source to the process of replication, RNA (or protein) self replication just does not happen. Any self replicating molecule (RNA or protein) must know how to use energy sources to replicate. In other words, there is no such thing as a simple self replicating molecule. The simplest living organisms are complex cells and have always been complex cells. We cannot invoke a simple self replicating system evolving under the direction of natural selection to explain life's origin because these simple systems do not exist. Read more about the RNA world here. |
| Intelligent Design Books |
The information on this site has been published in "Intelligent Design or Evolution? Why the Origin of Life and the Evolution of Molecular Knowledge imply design." If you want to buy the book click here and you will be directed to Amazon's web site. Origin of life book for sale: click on the cover to read front and back cover.
Don't have money to buy the book? You can read it online or request a free copy. To get your free copy fill in form and I will send you a complimentary copy. If you want a copy fast use Amazon because the free copies will be free with no obligation but shipping will not be fast and may take up to a month. |
| Copyright Intelligent Design Books 2005-2011 |
