HURDLE NUMBER 4. THE CLUTTER PROBLEM HURDLE.
Starting with a “primordial soup”, the formation of RNA (that might “evolve” into biological life forms) is hampered by impurities that will chemically combine with the chemical precursors of the RNA. This has been referred to as “The Clutter Problem”. Here are some quotes from authoritative sources which highlight the serious obstacle that “The Clutter Problem” poses to “origin of life” investigations.
The following quotes are from the book The Mystery of Life’s Origin by C.B. Thaxton (who has a doctorate in physical chemistry at Iowa State University) and W.L. Bradley and R.L. Olsen (Ph.D. in Geochemistry), published by Lewis and Stanley, second printing, 1992.
The foreword of this book is by Dean H. Kenyon (Professor of Biology at San Francisco State University). First a quote from this foreword (page vi)
“In most cases the experimental conditions in such (origin of life) studies have been so artificially simplified as to have virtually no bearing on any actual process - - - - - on the primitive Earth.” The text continues explaining that any prebiotic attempt of amino acids to form proteins would be scuppered by “contamination substances”, causing an “interfering cross-reaction”. The text then states - “The problem of potentially interfering cross-reactions has been largely neglected in much of the published work on the chemical origins of life.”
Now for a quote from pages 55 to 58 of the same book:-
“”Polypeptides and polynucleotides (ie:- proteins and DNA) - - - - would - - - have been vulnerable to degradation by chemical interaction with a variety of substances in the ocean - - - - growing polypeptides would be terminated by reactions with amines, aldehydes, reducing sugars, or carboxylic acid - - - - -nucleic acids formed - - - - would be vulnerable to - - - - attack by formaldehyde - - - - - As with proteins, it is difficult to conceive of a viable nucleic acid existing in the primordial soup for more than a very brief period of time - - - - - In an oceanic chemical soup the synthesis of RNA - - - would have been short-circuited at nearly every turn by many cross-reactions - - - - - Any realistic assessment of the fate of - - -amino acids on the early Earth cannot ignore their very considerable destruction by - - - - chemical interaction in the soup - - - - - Many interfering cross-reactions would occur among the nucleotides - - - - - to terminate their growth.”
The next quote is from the book How Life Began by L.R. Croft, Lecturer in Biological Sciences at The University of Salford, published by Evangelical Press, 1988, page 51:-
Croft suggests that life in the primordial soup could not get started without enzymes (to speed up or control chemical reactions). However, if enzymes did somehow form, they could not work in this environment. Croft tells us that “The primeval soup was a hotch-potch of almost every conceivable chemical - - - - -there would have been innumerable ENZYME INHIBITORS (my capitals) - - - - enzyme inhibitors would have been abundant - - -so how could the first enzymes have been functional. Anyone who has carried out an enzyme reaction in the laboratory knows all too well how easy it is to poison.”
Here is a further quote from the same book – pages 143 to 144:-
“As all chemistry students know, practical organic chemistry is neither easy nor possible without PURE starting materials. To suggest that complicated organic molecules could be produced from the MINOR (my capitals) constituents of tars and “goos” is ONE OF THE MOST FOOLISH AND IDIOTIC NOTIONS OF 20TH CENTURY SCIENCE.”(my capitals.)
Here is a further quote from the same book – page 51:-
Let us suppose a miraculous mechanism for the formation of DNA - - - - - it (ie:- the DNA) could not function because of the presence (in the primeval soup) of innumerable NUCLEOTIDE ANALOGUES (my capitals): They would have become incorporated into (the) DNA and so inhibited its role.”
The next quote is from the book Signature in The Cell – DNA and The Evidence For Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer (Ph.D. from Cambridge University in Philosophy of Science), published by HarperOne, 2009, page 303:-
Meyer tells us that “The building blocks of RNA and whole RNA molecules would have reacted readily with other chemicals present in the prehistoric - - - - - environment. These INTERFERING CROSS-REACTIONS would have inhibited the assembly of RNA from its constituent monomers.” (My capitals.)
The next quote is from the book The Origin of Life and Evolutionary Biochemistry, edited by K Dose (Inst. Fur Biochemie, Universitat Mainz, Germany) and S.W. Fox (Inst for Molecular and Cellular Evolution, University of Miami, Florida) et al, published by Plenum Press, NY and London, 1974. The article in this book that I am quoting from is Evolution and Ecology of Phosphorus Metabolism, by M. Halmann of The Isotope Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (page 169 to 182)
“In order to solve the problem of the initial genesis of an ordered protein structure suited to its purpose, it is first of all necessary to determine how a definite sequence of metabolic reactions could have formed in the CHAOS OF CRISS-CROSSING (chemical) REACTIONS.” (my capitals).
The next quote is from the book Seven Clues to The Origin of Life by A.G. Cairns Smith (Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at The University of Glasgow), published by Cambridge University Press, reprinted 1991, pages 43 to 44:-
The author explains that in order to synthesize organic molecules pure solution of the precursor chemicals is required. The prebiotic ocean was full of impurities, and synthesizing operations would have resulted in “tars, sludges, and gunks”. Synthesizing the molecules of life in the laboratory requires frequent “workup”, ie:- “molecules that you don’t want are removed”. The molecules of life would be “usually no more than trace products”. He explains that – “The ease of synthesis of the molecules of life has been greatly exaggerated. - - - - It is hard to see how the molecules would have been sufficiently unencumbered by - - - - - INTERFERING MOLECULES to have allowed further organization to higher order structures.” (My capitals.)
(My comment on The Clutter Problem Hurdle:- The Clutter Problem Hurdle is an insurmountable hurdle. It is clear that it is a chemical impossibility for life to emerge from the primordial soup – without assistance.)