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Unread 26-07-2005, 00:10
KenWittlief KenWittlief is offline
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Re: are we alone in the universe?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc P.
But life began from simple amino-acids, with nothing more than a mixture of hydrogen, water, methane, and ammonia, all of which are common materials, no doubt found throughout the universe. Amino-acids have been created in a lab under conditions simulating the environment of early Earth. From another site:

Further studies showed that some amino acids would have combined with hydrogen cyanide (HCN), which is a byproduct of volcanic activity. This combination would form purines and pyrinidines, which are used to make nucleic acids, which in turn create DNA.

So essentially, atoms wouldn't have to form complex cells initially, but rather, start with more simple organic compounds, and combine/evolve into more complex molecules from there. This seems much more likely, and as it's been proven in the lab, is far from impossible to happen in other solar systems.
I agree that the first living cell could have been a combination of the right types of amino acids, but each molecule of that cell had to be the right type, in the right place, in the right sequence.

If you start with a swimming pool full of random amino acids, most of what you have in there will be tar or oil or other toxic substances, not the material you need to form protien, and then DNA.

Saying you will form DNA by forming the right amino acids first, and then combining them, doesnt diminish the probability of an entire cell forming by random. Its like saying I will guess this weeks lottery numbers, but I will guess them one at a time. It makes no difference. In the end, the odds are the same. The probability of that first cell forming spontainiously remains the same: astronomically small.
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