I. Introduction Terms & Concepts

1. I. Introduction Terms & Concepts

2. Multi-faceted scientific issue • - biology and chemistry • some physics, geology, astronomy • Subdisciplines • Non-Biblical topic • Distractions to the issue • age of earth • big bang • plate tectonics • Confusing terms and “evolving” jargon

3. http://plantsci.missouri.edu/roberts/comment.htm

4. Change Over Time • Chemical Evolution (called “abiogenesis”): • self-organization of life from non-life

5. Change Over Time • Chemical Evolution (called “abiogenesis”): • self-organization of life from non-life • General Evolution (called “macroevolution”): • simple to complex, an extrapolation, a model

6. Complex Life Simple Life

7. Change Over Time • Chemical Evolution (called “abiogenesis”): • self-organization of life from non-life • General Evolution (also “macroevolution”): • simple to complex, an extrapolation, a model • Special Evolution (like “microevolution”): • changes within a gene pool, testable • Related concepts: • Theistic Evolution, Exobiology, Progressive Creation

8. 9% Atheistic Evolution 40% Theistic Evolution 47% Creation 1999 Gallup Poll: overall stats When stats are “broken down…” many educated people believe in theistic evolution

9. II. Special Evolution Occurs

10. No Evolution “Fixity of Species”

11. Gene Pool Special Evolution Gene Pool Gene Pool Gene Pool Gene Pool

12. Gene Pool

13. Gene Pool

14. Kind

15. “Species” not equal to “Kind” (A.J. Jones, 1972) Biblical Language Kind Secular Language Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

16. Special Evolution

17. Male Guppies with “few predators” Male Guppies with “many predators”

18. “Evolution” via “speciation” Common ancestor? Then, species evolve from species … to a point.

19. Kind

20. III. Chemical Evolution Is a Belief

22. “…the very first cause, which was certainly not mechanical. It is unphilosophical to seek for any other origin of the world or to pretend that it might arise out of a chaos by the mere laws of nature.” Isaac Newton

23. Life from life (Biogenesis: bio - genesis) • Life from non-life (Abiogenesis: a - bio - genesis) … not the “First Cause” issue (cosmology) … related to the “Design” issue (teleology) … like “Intelligence vs. Matter” question

24. Clarifying the Issue - abiogenesis - • Abiogenesis is “chemical evolution.” • It is the doctrine of unassisted “self-organization.” • Bible teaches life from non-living building blocks. Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Gen 2:7) Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky…. (Gen 2:19) • More relevant, Bible teaches life from the livingGod.

25. Scientific Support? - Mathematics of Self-Organization - • Computer models • Virtual, not real Biochemistry • Not highly regarded by many biochemists • “Fact-free” science • Kauffman vs. Dembski

26. Primordia Scientific Support? - Chemistry of Self-Organization -

27. Specifically ... ... what are the steps?

28. Proteins First?

29. Amino acids Most AA Peptides Adenine

30. H H COO- COO- +H3N +H3N C C R R H2O

31. Assumes early atmosphere was reducing (no O2) • Does not imply formation of complex molecules • Requires intelligence

32. Building blocks? Maybe, including “non-life” forms.

33. What we have made ... What we have left to make ... Bricks, or half bricks Manhattan

34. “We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside.” It is “mythology rather than science.” Robert Shapiro, 1986 (Dep of Chemistry, SUNY)

35. RNA first?

36. If not proteins, then what? RNA? Adenine (RNA also a “ribozyme”) (Modified to input HCN)

37. Adenine is half of a building block Adenine

38. 3 other bases needed for RNA • All need a sugar-phosphate

39. Still requires 3 other bases (likely) • Bases must bond to sugar-phosphate • All nucleotides need to organize in exact sequence (100s of them)

40. Still requires 3 other bases (likely) • Bases must bond to sugar-phosphate • All nucleotides need to organize in exact sequence (100s of them) • Need DNA at some point • DNA has extra nucleotide • Its nucleotides must be in sequence (500,000 at least) • Then, it must FUNCTION (often argued that first life did not have DNA … the “RNA World”)

41. “We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside.” It is “mythology rather than science.” Robert Shapiro, 1986 PhD, Dep of Chemistry, SUNY

42. Function

43. Adenine: half of a building block. The machine: A city block of Manhattan The cell: Manhattan Life from RNA World?

44. “Scientists interested in the origins of life seem to divide neatly into two classes. The first, usually but not always molecular biologists, believe that RNA must have been the first replicating molecule and that chemists are exaggerating the difficulties of nucleotide synthesis.” “The second group of scientists are more pessimistic. They believe that the de novo appearance of oligonucleotides on the primitive earth would have been a near miracle.” G.F. Joyce and L.E. Orgel, 1998

45. “Unfortunately, the optimism surrounding the RNA world ignores known chemistry. In many ways the RNA-world fad of the 1990’s is reminiscent of the Stanley Miller phenomenon during the 1960’s: hope struggling valiantly against experimental data.” Michael Behe, Dep of Biology, Lehigh University

47. Other Abiogenesis Ideas

48. Proteinoids • Microspheres • Protocells • Progenote (now called the “Universal Ancestor”) “protocells” cyanobacteria

49. “An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle….” Francis Crick

50. Biogenesis