Editors note: As an alternative to what you are getting pretty much everywhere else in the media at the moment, Evolution News is proud to offer inspiration, pointing to purpose and meaning in life. The profoundest mystery and thus the deepest inspiration is life itself. Discovery Institute Press has just published a greatly expanded edition of the 1984 classic of intelligent design science literature, The Mystery of Lifes Origin. Below is an excerpt from the original introduction by Charles Thaxton, Walter Bradley, and Roger Olsen.
Two monumental scientific reports appeared in 1953, both of which have subsequently received wide acceptance in the scientific community. One was the proposal by James Watson and Francis Crick of their double helical model for deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. According to their now-famous model, hereditary information is transmitted from one generation to the next by means of a simple code resident in the specific sequence of certain constituents of the DNA molecule. It had previously been held that the spectacular diversity of life was due in part to some corresponding diversity of nuclear material. The breakthrough by Crick and Watson was their discovery of the specific key to lifes diversity. It was the extraordinarily complex yet orderly architecture of the DNA molecule. They had discovered that there is in fact a code inscribed in this coil of life, bringing a major advance in our understanding of lifes remarkable structure.
Almost as if synchronized for the sake of irony, the other report in 1953, by Stanley Miller, offered experimental support for what has become an increasingly apparent contradiction. Miller offered his work in support of the neo-Darwinian theory of prebiotic evolution. This notion suggested that the fantastic complexity in the molecular organization of living cells might somehow have resulted from nothing more than simple chemicals interacting at random in a primordial ocean.
In 1953, few if any were troubled by the tension between the new insights of Crick and Watson on the one hand and Millers results on the other. Crick and Watson were concerned with lifes structure and Miller was concerned with lifes origin. Most observers had an unshakable confidence that these two investigative approaches would eventually converge. After all, young Millers announcement of experimental success was just what was anticipated according to the general theory of evolution. Regardless of whether the particular theory of evolution is Darwinian, neo-Darwinian, or something else, an evolutionary preamble to the biological phase of evolution is clearly required. Chemical evolution, then, is the pre-biological phase of evolution in which the very earliest living things came into being. This monumental dawning of life occurred through the variation of natural forces acting on matter over long time spans, perhaps up to a thousand million years, or maybe longer.
In the decades since Millers and Crick and Watsons reports, however, there have been indications that all is not well in the halls of biology. We have gained a far deeper appreciation of the extremely complex macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. The enlarged understanding of these complexities has precipitated new suggestions that the DNA mechanism may be more complex and the molecular organization more intricate and information-filled than was previously thought.
The impressive complexities of proteins, nucleic acids, and other biological molecules are presently developed in nature only in living things. Unless it is assumed such complexity has always been present in an infinitely old universe, there must have been a time in the past when life appeared de novo out of lifeless, inert matter. How can the mere interaction of simple chemicals in the primordial ocean have produced life as it is presently understood? That is the question. The signs do not bode well for the standard answers given, and some investigators are suggesting that our two approaches will not converge.
Read the rest in The Mystery of Lifes Origin: The Continuing Controversy, from Discovery Institute Press.
Photo: (l. to r.) Roger Olsen, Charles Thaxton, and Walter Bradley signing books at the 2020 Dallas Conference on Science & Faith, by Chris Morgan.
Read more:
Crisis in the Chemistry of Origins - Discovery Institute
- Fossil discovery reveals early evolution of sponges - EurekAlert - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- An Unlikely Hero In The Evolution Of Life On Earth: Worms - Astrobiology - Astrobiology News - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Evolutionary radiation strategy revealed in the Scarabaeidae with evidence of continuous spatiotemporal morphology ... - Nature.com - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- The evolution of dreams | Grad Edition 2024 | dailyuw.com - Dailyuw - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- How to Watch 'Criminal Minds' Season 17 Online - TVLine - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Paramount+ renews 'Criminal Minds: Evolution' for third outing - NewscastStudio - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- The Collapse Is Coming. Will Humanity Adapt? - Nautilus - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Female giraffes drove the evolution of long giraffe necks in order to feed on the most nutritious leaves, new research ... - The Conversation - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Astonishing Study Shows Evolution Really Does Repeat Itself - ScienceAlert - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- German cockroaches have humans to thank for their evolution - Futurity: Research News - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Intelligent Design in a Non-ID Book - Discovery Institute - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- The evolution of forced labour in Xinjiang - The Economist - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Cal LB Cade Uluave on his evolution from freshman standout to defensive leader - Write For California - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- "Necks-for-sex hypothesis of giraffe evolution challenged - Cosmos - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 Renewed By Paramount+ - Screen Rant - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Criminal Minds: Evolution Renewed for Season 3 - ComicBook.com - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- The evolution of market sentiment in the first quarter and beyond - IFA Magazine - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- The ongoing evolution of pour over coffee: What's next? - Perfect Daily Grind - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- 'Criminal Minds: Evolution' Stars Joe Mantegna and Zach Gilford React to Early Season 3 Renewal (Exclusive) - PopCulture.com - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Matt Nagy explains the evolution of Chiefs' deep passing game - Chiefs Wire - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- 'Criminal Minds: Evolution' Renewed Will Finale Set Up Season 18? - TV Insider - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Advance Review: 'Criminal Minds: Evolution' Season 17: Gold Star Case Breaks The Mold - Fangirlish - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- How to watch Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 in the UK - Radio Times - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Denmark Euro 2024 squad guide: A lack of evolution fuels doubts hanging over Hjulmand's side - The New York Times - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Breaking Evolution's Rules: Scientists Uncover Surprising Reemergence of Once-Lost Biological Traits - SciTechDaily - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Criminal Minds: Evolution is back! Here's when (and what time) to watch - Show Snob - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- 'Criminal Minds: Evolution' Gets a Big Update Ahead of Season 2 - Collider - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- The (R)evolution of Alternators - Sail Magazine - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Criminal Minds: Evolution Team Previews Season; New Images Released - Bleeding Cool News - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- On tap at 2024 Society of Catholic Scientists convention: AI, evolution, and the nature of faith - Catholic News Agency - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Days of our Lives' Suzanne Rogers on the Evolution of Maggie: "She Knows Who She Is Now, and She's Not Relying ... - Michael Fairman TV - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Kylie Jenner Talks About Her Style Evolution - The Cut - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Equator Coffees Unveils New Packaging Design, Reflecting Brand Evolution & Vision For The Future - Sprudge - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Rosewood Hotel Group Accelerates Growth And Evolution Across Its Four Distinctive Brands - Hospitality Net - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Thomson Reuters Unveils New Brand Evolution - Adweek - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Is It Becoming Acceptable to Speak of Design? - Discovery Institute - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Did Charles Darwin Convert to Christianity and Discredit Evolution on His Deathbed? - Snopes.com - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Milk, it's not just for mammals: An amphibian makes it too - NPR - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Discover Puerto Rico Debuts Evolution of Its Successful 'Live Boricua' Brand Campaign Aimed at Engaging Visitors ... - Yahoo Finance - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- A Journey Through Time: The Evolution of Ras Al Khaimah Art - Business Wire - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Empowering Women: The Evolution and Innovation of coto Social Platform - CXOToday.com - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- The Evolution of Da'Vine Joy Randolph - The Root - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Study on mating behaviors offers clues into the evolution of attraction - Phys.org - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Dragonball Evolutions live-action Goku says goodbye to Toriyama: Sorry we messed up - AS USA - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Investec, evolution of SMEs in the materials handling sector - Leasing Life - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Pride & Prejudice and the evolution of the female gaze on screen - Yahoo News UK - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Joe Wong's Musical Evolution - Shepherd Express - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- A global survey of prokaryotic genomes reveals the eco-evolutionary pressures driving horizontal gene transfer - Nature.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Redefining Intelligence: Chimpanzees Break Through the Cultural Evolution Barrier - Medriva - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Mollusk Eyes Reveal How Future Evolution Depends on the Past - Quanta Magazine - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Levy Delves Into the Evolution of ADCs in NSCLC - OncLive - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The Snake Is The Spearhead of Reptile Evolution, But Why? - ScienceAlert - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- 'A very special day: Birds linked to Darwins theory of evolution reintroduced to Galapagos Islands - Euronews - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Why the Powerhouses of Cells Evolve Differently in Plants - College of Natural Sciences - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Driving the DevOps Evolution: ArgoCD, Tekton and Seamless Migrations - DevOps.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Finding the Balance: The Evolution of Public Health Guidance Amidst Controversy - Medriva - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Insider Podcast: Paolini dishes on her Polish roots and hard-court evolution - WTA Tennis - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Interview: Sara Gruen and Rick Elice Talk About the Inspiration and Evolution of the New Musical Water for Elephants - TheaterMania.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The Evolution of the Laravel Welcome Page - Laravel News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- A Serpentine 'Explosion' 125 Million Years Ago Primed Snakes for Rapid, Diverse Evolution - Smithsonian Magazine - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The Evolution of Modern Technologies in Car Development - FinSMEs - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Milwaukee Transformed: From Bronzeville to Veterans Park, Aerial Timelapses Reveal City's Evolution - BNN Breaking - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The eyes are a gateway to evolution of daddy longlegs at least. - University of Wisconsin-Madison - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Adrian Newey: RB20 is the next step in Red Bull's design evolution - PlanetSport - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- LiveScore releases its 'Evolution of Fan' report - Gambling Insider - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The loyalty program evolution makes its way to the full-service restaurant category - Nation's Restaurant News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution #1 spoiler-free review: goes hard on the action, but ... - Gamesradar - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Exploring U.S. Financial Evolution: DAR Hosts Talk on Federal Reserve History in Thomasville - BNN Breaking - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Why cloud evolution needs a cohesive approach to succeed - CIO - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Gilead Sciences CEO on Company's Evolution and Commitment to the Bay Area - BioSpace - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Navigating the AI Quandary: Human Supremacy vs Machine Intelligence Evolution - BNN Breaking - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Denis Villeneuve breaks down the evolution of sandworms in 'Dune: Part Two' - Mashable - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Continued evolution of law improves governing capacity - Chinadaily.com.cn - China Daily - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The Evolution of the DEX Space with dYdX's CEO Antonio Juliano - Blockster - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Quick Commerce Evolution: 3PL Firms Aim for Same Day Delivery, Chasing Blinkit and Zepto's Lead - BNN Breaking - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- What If...? Star Jeffrey Wright Addreses the Watcher's Evolution and 'Epic' Season 2 Finale - CBR - Comic Book Resources - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Evolution of the Connected Autonomous Vehicle - Ward's Auto - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- A project to capture the evolution of human culture. - Psychology Today - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- The Evolution of a Digital Soul. Beyond Code: A Journey of Heart and | by Mark Randall Havens | Dec, 2023 - Medium - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- 4 Clues That Reid Is Finally Returning In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 - Screen Rant - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]