It's not unusual for religious folks to dismiss the possibility of life arising spontaneously as a result of natural chemical processes, but we do know that amino acids, the building blocks of proteins in living organisms, are formed as a by-product of chemical processes that take place naturally in interstellar clouds of gas and dust. It is in the nature of atoms and molecules to bind together into more complex molecules in the presence of a source of energy - In this case, UV radiation. If amino acids can form spontaneously, by common chemistry, then why not more complex organic molecules? Why not, by chance, a self-replicating molecule? Why not, ultimately, life? Even if the chance occurrence of a self-replicating molecule is a very low probability event, what does that matter in a universe of a billion trillion suns and billions of years for chemistry to have its effect? And one such event might be all that's needed to kick-start life.
We live in fascinating times :-)
2006-08-04
00:14:26
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14 answers
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Anonymous
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Religion & Spirituality