Sunday, October 3, 2010

Exposing "The alternative"

For the skeptic and the learning apologist:

Before applying mathematics and probability to the origin of life, we need to consider seven parameters that will affect the formation of a single protein. First, their oare over 300 different types of amino acids. However, only 20 different amino acids are used in life. This means, that in order to have life, the selection process for building proteins must be very discriminating. Second, each type of amino acid molecule comes in two shapes commonly referred to as right-handed and left-handed  forms. Only left-handed amino acids are used in biological proteins; however, the natural tendancy is for left- and right-handed amino acid molecules to bond indiscriminately. Third, the various left-handed amino acids must bond in the correct order or the protein will not function properly. Fourth, if there was a pond of chemicals ("primordial soup"), it would have been diluted with many of the wrong types of amino acids and other chemicals available for bonding, making the proper amino acids no longer usable. This means there would have been fewer of the required amino acids used to build the biological protein. Fifth, amino acids require an energy source for bonding. Raw energy from the sun needs to be captured and converted into usable energy. Where did the energy converter come from? It would require energy to build this biological machine. However, before this energy converter can capture raw energy, it needs an energy source to build it, a catch-22 situation. Sixth, proteins without protection of the cell membrane would disintegrate in water (hydrolysis), disintegrate in an atmosphere containing oxygen and disintegrate due to ultraviolet rays of the sun if there was no oxygen present to form the protective ozone layer. Seventh, natural selection cannot be invoked at the pre-biotic level. The first living cell must be in place before natural selection can function. Considering all seven of these hurdles, how probable is it that a single protein that a single protein could have evolved from a pool of chemicals?
So far the most commonly used argument for the origin of life is Stanley Millers experiment. Unfortunately
this experiment has been given credit by being placed in science books across the nation as how life first
came about. Though convincing at first if looked at carefully this is an extremely improbable and flawed alternative to the origin of life. I have studied this experiment and even if given billions of years it is still dangerously flawed. Miller's construction of sending a bolt of electricity into this container filled with carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapor excludes oxygen, why? Because oxygen will oxidize amino acids and destroy them. Even in an early earth if there were no atmosphere then ultraviolet rays would destroy the amino acids. Also you must factor in hydrolysis which is the decomposition of a chemical compound by reaction with water. Now yes he did create some amino acids but it was only because he was able to suck them down into a chamber where the electric current couldn’t fry them if they sat there. Where in the primitive earth would you find such a contraption. It would be like saying a bolt of electricity struck a river bank and made clay, and that clay had the texture and form of a brick, then saying that raw energy could create the empire state building. the few amino acids that were found were 50% racemic where 100% purity is essential. 99% of the compounds were toxic.

To produce even non-functional amino acids and proteins, researchers must highly control the experiment in various ways because the very conditions hypothesized to create amino acids also rapidly destroy proteins. Examples include thermal denaturing of proteins by breaking apart their hydrogen bonds and disrupting the hydrophobic attraction between non-polar side groups. Very few proteins remain biologically active above 50ºC, or below about 30ºC, and most require very narrow conditions. Cooking food is a good example of using heat to denature protein, and refrigeration of using cold to slow down biological activity. As any molecular biologist knows from daily lab work, the pH also must be strictly regulated. Too much acid or base adversely affects the hydrogen bonding between polar R groups and also disrupts the ionic bonds formed by the salt bridges in protein. Miller had to deal with the fact that the common cross-reactions of biochemical reaction products cause destruction or interfere with amino acid production. All compounds that interfere with bonding must be isolated or they will destroy the proteins. Therefore, Miller had to remove many contaminants and impurities to obtain pure compounds that are not normally found in life. Otherwise, his apparatus would have produced many destructive cross-reactions. After more than 50 years nothing better has come about or else we would all hear about it. Only an extremely intelligent and infinitely complex Creator could have brought life into existence…. His ways are incomprehensible. Information comes from an informer, messages come from messengers. We have a magnificent transcending God who has showed us through his creation how His ways are far superior to ours. This will lead us into Gods ways in the next topic. Isaiah 55:9


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