Chemicals vs Life/Evolution

AX: Evolution is the source of life.

Hey SD, in biology today we were learning about cells, what with ribosomes, DNA, etc, and I began to think about evolution. Since one of the main arguments against evolution is that there was no spark to begin life at the start, I was wondering if certain amino acids could randomly make up the proteins and, ultimately, the cell. Would the DNA sequence and ribosomes be able to create the building blocks of life?

Since one of the main arguments against evolution is that there was no spark to begin life at the start

Not true, one of the main arguements is that electricity going hitting ice particles and going into water creates very simply orginisms, which evolve over millions of years, although im not sure if they have tested yet.

Currently, the most likely hypotheses as to the origin of life start with RNA, rather than DNA.

The thing about RNA is that, like other enzymes, it can catalyze particular reactions. In particular, scientists have determined some RNA sequences that (directly or indirectly) catalyze creation of similar RNA segments out of building blocks in the environment. It’s quite feasible for one such sequence to spontaneously arise in the prebiotic soup, and then evolution takes over.

Not true, one of the main arguements is that electricity going hitting ice particles and going into water creates very simply orginisms

Really? I have yet to hear of that. The main argument I hear from hardline Christians is that there is not a beginning to life, which I was thinking a chemical reaction involving amino acids could possibly give birth to proteins. I would like to read up a little more on this electric ice concept though… You have now peaked my interest…

I think I had a bunch of relevant links in some big evolution thread, I might try to dig it up eventually.

Really?

He is referencing this study I believe.

Originally posted by SaintAjora:

I think I had a bunch of relevant links in some big evolution thread, I might try to dig it up eventually.

Really?

He is referencing this study I believe.

Yeah, that one, thanks Saint

AX: Evolution is the source of life.

Evolution doesn’t account for the start/source of life on this planet, it just governs what happened after. Your thinking of abiogenesis.

I know we’re no really supposed to argue against an AX, but it seems like your trying to answer some questions rather than set the stage for a discussion.

Also,

I was wondering if certain amino acids could randomly make up the proteins and, ultimately, the cell.

I remember reading something about scientist replicating early Earth like environments and this happening. I think it was “A Short History of Everything” or something like that, I’ll try to find my copy.

As far as i can tell, you’ve made an AX thread with a question that essentially asks if the axiom is true.

And said it all wrong.

Well it took forever, but I dound it in the bowels of an old evolution thread:

Originally posted by SaintAjora:

By this, I simply met that nonliving things do not evolve.

Formation of amino acids

tPNA formation

Spontaneous formation of prebiotic RNA molecules

…and so on.

In other words, they can – or rather, specific reactions lead to systems that can evolve. All it involves is chemical reactions of increasing complexity that at one point become able to replicate themselves, and the rest is history.

My whole thing about evolution is that we have been going into very deep depth about the human body systems, and when we were talking about the Respiratory/Circulatory systems and the Optics, I started thinking how evolution could be possible if all of this is SO complicated and intense. Like all of our involuntary organs and stuff?

So essentially you are saying that if something is too complicated to understand you automatically assume it was created by magic?

Evolution is basically a theory that explains how complex systems can arise. To say “I don’t think it can explain this system because it is complex” seems to me a rather grave misunderstanding of everything you are talking about.