Rana, F. and Ross H. Origins of Life,Navpress, Colorado Srings, 2004
Chap. 1. Questions; p21-8 “If abiogenesis lacks scientific support, then evolutionary theory stands on blind faith.” P21 In early history the protoplasmic theory of the cell held. It was discovered that the cell was much more complex. Then panspemia became popular, because of the complex barriers to life.(homochirality-handedness.26) Some have used neovitalism of life force being unknown. In P. Davies book The Fifth Miracle creation of life still appears a miracle. ISSOL conf. 2002 on this, still not much found to explain it other the early life emergence 3.5 billion yrs. ago. Direct panspermia may be more possible as, life on other nearby planets is unlikely.p27
Chap. 2 Answers p.29-33 Enen F. Crick say live is like a miracle, but favors panspermia. P30 Eldridge considers science as naturalistic and religion as a separate domain. He also says creation offers no testable hypothesizes and no predictions.p31 He notes that creationists shoot holes in evolution but offer no alternate testable model. Rana says there should be room for another approach. Some science has theories for and observes things that are not directly observable. Anthropologists discriminate between fossils and tools and note some must be intelligently created. Panspermia also appeals to this.p33
Chap. 4. Naturalistic approach:
Chap. 5 An early or late appearance:63-79 Earth oldest rocks in Greenland-3.8 billion yrs. 3.3 in NW Australia, SE Africa. Stromatolites(layers of several bacteria) in Australia were built by cyanobacteria in Shark bay, a salty area-dated as 3.3-3.5 billion yrs. p65-7 Imply shallow ocean oxygen environment. Threadlike microfossils also found in cherts (3.3bill) associated with kerogen tars in Australia.p68 M. Braiser thinks they were deposited by chemical process under hydrothermal conditions; some others think that microbe operated in these hydrothermal vents. Carbon 12-14 ratios and Raman signature support 3.3 billion yrs.p69 Nitrogen 14-15 also supports this as may S-32 enriched sulfide deposits.p70 There are kerogen and graphite deposits that are also dated by C12-14; also apaties although this has been challenged. Some are troubled by any dates before 3.8 billion yrs as this was the time of heavy asteroid bombardment.p72 Banded Iron formations some have apatite, some formed in ocean nutrient up swelling with iron and silica rich and affected by cyanobacteria and oxygen.1-8-3.5 billion yrs.p75-6 Weight of evidence is that cyanobacterial existed 3.5 billion yrs ago. These were complex bacteria like today’s and show that many complex bacteria existed then both aerobic and anerobic.p76-7 Some think the anoxygenic bacteria were first. There was a complex ensemble of biochemical processes and organisms.p78
Chap. 6 Slow or Sudden Arrival:p81-92 Earth’s origin 4.57 Billion yrs, Moon 4.47 Fossils of bacteria back to 3.5; There is evidence of the sun’s variability in luminosity and of ionizing radiation events in early history of solar system before 3.9 billion yrs. There was heavy bombardment of asteroids and comments that tapered down 4.4-3.5; with a temporary peak at 3.8-9; this is called the Hadean era. This would have exterminated any life and melted the earth’s crust and evaporated the oceans. Low tungsten 182 rocks in Greenland dating 3.7-8 billion yrs ago give evidence of the meteorites. Also moon rocks and its regression rate give evidence of it being formed by a collision of a medium sized planet with earth 4.47 billion yrs. ago. This also caused a new earth atmosphere to form. Some of the first earth rocks are dated 3.85; before that time most rocks melted; Zircon crystals(which have high melting points and resistance) give evidence that the earths crust melted and re-solidified 3-9-4.4 It is known the RNA breaks down at high temperatures and cold not have survived this period. It was noted that life must have appeared in time window of less than 50 million yrs(p85) perhaps 10 million or less. This would have included many complex bacteria and cyanobacteria including RNA and DNA. This invalidates some naturalistic models that say life evolved or longer times which is very improbable. Fossils appear closely dated to the fist rocks and of complex bacteria.
Chap.7 Prebiotic Soup:p.93-105 Naturalists propose a prebiotic soup from which life emerged. Both Carbon and Nitrogen radio-dating indicate the oldest kerogen was not a preboitic soup but came from living organic matter. A couple of meteorites have shown some amino acids, however it is also possible that they were contaminated by the earth or its atmosphere. DNA and RNA contain phosphorus which is more abundant on earth than in other places. Interstellar dust and ice can be irradiated at low temperatures to form a few amino acids, mainly glycine. However UV in space also breaks it down. A reducing atmosphere has been proposed for forming amino acids with ammonia, methane, carbon monoxide and dioxide and water vapor. Miller has formed amino acids using high CO and N2 also. Even minute amounts of oxygen will destroy prebiotic life. CO reacts readily with water to produce CO2. Evidence is cited that the earliest atmosphere was not reducing but near neutral, with only trace amounts of CO, and low levels of O2. Without O2 in the atmosphere there would also by no ozone layer to block the UV radiation that kills life. Under water hydrothermal vents have also been proposed as life source. Experiments have shown that amino acids can be under these conditions with no oxygen. However the high temperatures degrade it rapidly and there is no evidence of high ammonia in early sea water. Thus research has failed to provide a viable naturalistic explanation for life.
Chap. 8 Search for Chemical pathways.p109-21 The finding of pure chemical pathways is not enough. The pathways must work in the early environment, with interferences. The nucleic acids of Cytosine, rubies and phospholipids are key in DNA and RNA. These are very difficult to construct in real primordial environments as are RNA and DNA.
Chap. 9 One Handedness-Chirality: p 123-33 19 of the 20 biological amino acids and 2 sugars are chiral. Lab experiments have generated racemic ones 50/50 in handedness. Can anything form nature affect this? Circular polarized light can and is found form some neutron stars. It is not very pure and of a board spectrum that does not work well for affecting Chirality. Mineral surfaces also have and effect but don’t work very well. Some amino acids have been found on 2 meteorites. Radiation and heat destroy them quickly and they have short half lives.
Chap. 10 Codes of Life:135-41 The cell uses 20 different codes of amino acids to make proteins. The amino acids have a range of different physical and chemical properties. They form polypeptide chains and arrange themselves in 3 dimensional space. The probability of one 100 amino acid long chain assembling correctly is one in 10191.p138 Physicists say any probability greater than one in 1050 is considered impossible. Making 20 proteins by chance is more impossible. DNA and RNA are ever more complex.
Chap. 11 Boundaries, Cell Walls: p.143-58 Lipids and proteins interact to form cell membranes. Phospholipids have a hydrophilic (water loving) balloon like heads and water insoluble sting like tails and they form bi-layers for the cell walls. The cell walls are complex and intricate biosystems with a number of proteins that screen substances in and out. The cell membrane was necessary early on for live to emerge. The advances in membrane biophysics challenge the naturalist process for these membranes forming by chance, although some related layer compounds can assemble, they cannot assemble all the many necessary components of the cell wall.
Chap. 12 Life’s Minimum Complexity p 160-8 Recently molecular biologists have use a top down approach to track life forms. They are discovering new genomes and tracking them back to the most similar prior ones called the LUCA (last universal common ancestor). This has proceeded to identify the near beginning, the simplest functional bacteria. For a bacteria to survive independently, it requires about 1500 gene products. p161 Parasites live off of other organisms and need at least 500 genes; but they can’t perform certain life functions and are thus not independent. The cyanobacteria found in early fossils, have about 1700 genes. As noted previously, even one protein with its 20 amino acids is considered impossible to form correctly by chance, let alone 1500 genes. The probability of 1500 genes forming correctly by chance is one in 10112500. Not only must the genes form, but also the DNA, RNA and cell wall are needed. Prior to the 1990’s the bacteria was thought simpler, bet it is now known to be complex and impossible to form by chance.
Chap. 13 Extreme Life p 171-81 Bacteria called extremophiles are diverse, adapting to many conditions: High temperature thermophiles, cold temperature psychophiles, Acidophilies, alkophiles, salt loving halophiles, pressure tolerant barophiles. Some have thought thermophiles were first as the earth was first very hot. If they were first, they would have evolved into mesophiles that live at moderate temperatures. This transition is difficult to imagine in changing form extracting energy form inorganic chemicals to organic foods. Thermophiles do not tolerate this transition. Also RNA dose not tolerate high temperatures very well. However the back tracking of DNA trees indicates that mesophiles were first.
Chap. 14. Life on Mars: p.183-96 Several meteorites have been found from Mars: ALH84001 and Nakhla. At first it was thought they indicated life. Now they have been shown not to indicated life from Mars. There has also been speculation of old life on Mars to apparent old water evidence. Ross notes there may have been water briefly during the heavy asteroid bombardment, 3.8 billion yrs ago. Water does not last long on Mars; due the low pressure it vaporizes, unless buried as ice. Conditions for life on Mars are even harsher than on earth and not likely.
Chap. 15 Europa and Beyond: p.197-204 It, Jupiter’s moon, has a rocky core surrounded by water 90 miles deep. However the surface may be ice 12 miles deep. Temp. is -275F. It has no source of energy to drive metabolism. There are many oxidants present. Saturn’s moon Titan is also cold:-292F. It has C,N, O, but not much H or water. Spores also not likely to survive in space. Projectiles leaving earth could have taken some fossil life ot Mars, Venus, and Mercury.
Chap. 16 Life Seeded on Purpose: 205-8 F. Crick proposed this in his book Life Itself. He said aliens sent more than one spacecraft to seed earth with life. The amount of different animal phyla-70 during the Cambrian explosion would be difficult to transport. More than 40 went extinct and about 30 remain with no new ones being created. Some appeared at different times. Life on other planets is very unlikely; there are no planets in a solar system like ours. Safe transport over long distance and time is unlikely. 1996 SETI research showed no life within 155 light yrs.
Chap. 17 Solving the Mystery:p211-22 God slowly prepared the solar system and planet earth over the ages for man’s living. The carbon-silicate cycle was important in stabilizing the climate as was plate tectonics. There was a low oxygen atmosphere early on and sulfate reducing bacteria to lay down the minerals. Cyanobacteria raised the oxygen and bacteria prepared the top soil. Bio-deposits were stored up for mans use.
Epilogue: Good summary of unique factor for life.p244