replication

HURDLE NUMBER 15. THE REPLICATION HURDLE.

If life is to emerge from the primeval soup, some chemical molecules must appear in that soup that can replicate themselves. In order for this to happen, insurmountable difficulties must be overcome. Effectively, it is a chemical impossibility for a self-replicating molecule to emerge from a “soup” of simple chemicals. Here are some quotes from authoritative sources that substantiate this statement:-

This quote is from the book – Evolution – Possible or Impossible? By James F Coppedge, Ph.D. (Director of Probability Research in Biology, Northridge, California), published by Zondervan Publishing House, eighth printing, 1980, page 92:-

Coppedge quotes Theodosius Dobzhansky (well known biologist with The Rockefeller University in New York) – “For natural selection to operate, there must be reproduction.”

The next quote is from the book – No free Lunch: Why Specified Complexity Cannot be Purchased Without Intelligence – by William Dembski (Dembski completed an undergraduate degree in psychology (1981, University of Illinois at Chicago) and master's degrees in statistics, mathematics, and philosophy (1983, University of Illinois at Chicago; 1985, University of Chicago; 1993, University of Illinois at Chicago, respectively), two PhDs, one in mathematics and one in philosophy (1988, University of Chicago; 1996, University of Illinois at Chicago, respectively)), published by Rowman and Littlefield, 2002, page 180:-

“Theodosius Dobzhansky was therefore right when he remarked that “prebiological natural selection is a contradiction in terms.” Indeed, the Darwinian mechanism of natural selection - - - - - is simply not available until after the origin of - - - - (a) self-replication system.”

The next quote is from the book The Spark of Life – Darwin and The Primeval Soup, by Christopher Wills (Professor of Biology at The University of California) and Jeffrey Bada (Professor of Marine Chemistry), published by Oxford University Press, 2001, page xviii (introduction):-

“No laboratory so far has been able to make sets of molecules that can - - - increase in number.”

(My comment:- What he means is that this cannot be done using only simple chemicals – as would exist in the primordial soup. Replication experiments have been done, but only by starting off with complex chemicals from a biological source.)

The next quote is from the book Genetic Takeover and The Mineral Origins of Life by A.G. Cairns Smith (Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at The University of Glasgow), published by Cambridge University Press, reprinted 1987, page 42:-

“The process (of DNA replication) - - - - depends on very elaborate assistance of enzymes.”

(My comment:- These enzymes were not present in the primordial soup.)

The next quote is from pages 74 to 75 of the same book:-

“Pre-vital nucleic acid (ie:- RNA and DNA) replication is wholly implausible.”

The next quote is from the book Origins: A Skeptics Guide To The Creation of Life on Earth – by Robert Shapiro (Professor of Chemistry at New York University), published by Heinemann, 1986, page 135:-

“Proteins - - - - we know of no mechanism by which they can replicate themselves.”

The next quote is from the book Life Form an RNA World by Michael Yarus (Professor Emeritus, Dept. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado), published by Harvard University press, 2010, page 112:-

“There is no example or even likely possibility of a mechanism that will replicate sequences of amino acids.”

(My comment:- A protein is a sequence of amino acids.)

“Getting to such a self-replicating molecule - - - - - is very difficult - - - - The first molecule that had talents in this direction would have needed plentiful building blocks OF VERY SPECIFIC TYPES (My capitals) - - - - - - if it were to replicate itself successfully. Unfortunately, the primordial soup would have been a poor place for this. It would have been like a builder’s yard that has only one or two examples of every imaginable type of brick, board, and plumbing fixture – a wonderful place for browsing, but not much good for building a house.”

The next quote is from the book Molecular Origin of Life edited by Andre Brack, published by Cambridge University Press. Article:- Origins of the RNA World – by Alan W. Schwartz – of the Evolutionary Biology Research Group, Faculty of Science, University of Nijmegen, Netherlands, page 237 to 254:-

(This quote from pages 243 to 245):- “The rather sobering results can be summarized as follows: Templates consisting primarily of C residues (ie:- Cytosine) - - - - present no problem to copying. However, an oligonucleotide rich is G (ie:- Guanine) and incorporating isolated A residues (ie:- Adenine) - - - cannot be copied - - - This means that a replication cycle is not possible by template catalysis alone - - - - A SOPHISTICATED CATALYST WOULD BE NEEDED.” (My capitals.)

(My comment:- Cytosine, Guanine, and Adenine are the basic building blocks of RNA and DNA. An oligonucleotide is a length of RNA or DNA. A template simply means a length of RNA or DNA that is to be copied. It is important to focus on the last sentence in the above quote:- What it is saying is that, in order for RNA to replicate itself, A SOPHISTICATED CATALYST WOULD BE NEEDED. Such a sophisticated catalyst would not be available in the primordial soup. In other words, even if a molecule of RNA could form in the primordial soup (which it could not), it still could not replicate itself, and would simply decompose.)

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, pages 313 to 315:-

No one has yet produced a fully self-replicating RNA molecule. - - - - - For a - - - - RNA catalyst to - - - -self-replicate, it must find a - - - RNA molecule nearby to function as a template, since a single stranded RNA (molecule) cannot function as both replicase and template (Note:- A Replicase is – in this context – a length of RNA that possesses catalytic functions, so that it could catalyze the replication of another length of RNA)- - - -The RNA molecule would have to be the precise complement of the replicase - - - - Even if an RNA sequence could acquire the replicase function by chance, it could perform this function only if another RNA molecule - - - - with a highly specific sequence relative to the original arose close by.”

(My comment:- We have to multiply together the improbabilities of each specific molecule occurring, and then multiply this by the improbability of the two molecules “finding” one another. The odds against chance occurrence here are so astronomical as to require a miracle.)

The next quote is from the book Origins: A Skeptics Guide To The Creation of Life on Earth – by Robert Shapiro (Professor of Chemistry at New York University, published by Heinemann, 1986, pages 168 to 170:-

Shapiro considers a possible RNA replication:-“The minimal published estimates of its size propose a single strand of RNA of perhaps 20 nucleotides.” Shapiro suggests that it would be very improbable for this to form spontaneously from a prebiotic soup. He suggests that it would be “A MIRACLE”. Then he comments:- “Even should this MIRACLE occur, and the replicator find itself - - - - in the seas of prebiotic earth - - - - it would encounter only hosts of unrelated chemicals, and not the sub-units it needs to reproduce itself. A SECOND MIRACLE would be needed to surround it with exactly the ingredients it needs for further progress.” (My capitals.)

This next quote provides the final “coup de grace” to the notion that a self-replicating molecule could appear in the primordial soup. This quote is from New Scientist (magazine), 26^th May, 2018, page 15. Article:- Synthetic RNA May Solve an Ancient Paradox.

“Attempts to make self-replicating molecules have been thwarted by an apparent paradox. - - - - - RNA - - - can store information - - - -fold into complex shapes, and act as an enzyme, driving chemical reactions - - - The problem is that these RNA enzymes CAN ONLY COPY RNAS THAT AREN’T FOLDED. The moment the RNA molecule FOLDS, the enzyme gets stuck. Therein lies the paradox. RNA can only act as an enzyme if it is FOLDED, but RNA enzymes cannot copy a FOLDED RNA - - - so - - - NO RNA ENZYME CAN REPLICATE ITSELF.” (My capitals.)

(My comment:- It is clear from all the above that it would be a chemical impossibility for a self-replicating molecule to emerge from the primordial soup. Advocates of The Darwinian Hypothesis insist that, given sufficient time, the impossible can happen. However, you could wait for all of eternity for a piece of lead to transmute itself into a piece of iron. It would be a chemical impossibility. Similarly, the “given sufficient time” argument has zero merit. A chemical impossibility is a chemical impossibility. As far as a self-replicating molecule appearing in the primordial soup, it is truly “game over”.)