Origin of Life:
by Chance or by Design?
Chris Macosko
Department of Chemical Engineering and
Materials Science
Autobiogenesis:
Spontaneous Origin
of Life
Oparin, Haldane, 1930’s
Biology
G.B.Johnson and
R.H.Raven, 1996
Biology
Biggs et. al.
Glencoe Pub. 2004.
Chap 14.2
Heat
Sunlight
Electrical
energy
Proteins
and
nucleic acids
Simple Cells
Biochemistry
D. Voet & J.G. Voet
Wiley 2004
Molecules of aspartic acid with a
left-handed orientation, shown in
crystal form, could be the
"ancestral Eve" of all amino acids
-- the building blocks of proteins -in life on Earth.
The Origin of Life and the
Crystallization of Aspartic
Acid in Water
Tu Lee* and Yu Kun Lin
Department of Chemical
and Materials Engineering,
National Central University,
Taiwan, R.O.C.
Cryst. Growth & Design 2010
“The landing site of the Mars rover Curiosity was once
covered with fast-moving and possibly waist-high water
that could have possibly supported life, NASA
scientists announced Thursday.”
Star Tribune Sept 28, 2012
Autobiogenesis:
Spontaneous Origin
of Life
Oparin, Haldane, 1930’s
Haldane, J. B. S. (John Burdon
Sanderson) (1892–1964) known as
Jack (but who used 'J.B.S.' in his printed works), was
a British-born geneticist and evolutionary biologist. A
staunch Marxist, he was critical of Britain's role in the
Suez Crisis, and chose to leave Oxford, move to India
and become an Indian citizen. He was one of the
founders (along with Ronald Fisher and Sewall
Wright) of population genetics.
Alexander Oparin
(1894-1980)
The influence of the Marxist theoretical
concept of dialectical materialism, part of the
Communist Party's official interpretation of
Marxism, fit Oparin's definition of life as 'a
flow, an exchange, a dialectical unity'. This
notion was enforced by Oparin's association
with Lysenko.
Stanley Miller, 1953
Chemistry graduate
student at University of
Chicago
Adapted from
“A Production of Amino Acids under
Possible Primitive Earth Conditions,”
Stanley L. Miller, Science, Vol. 117,
(May 15, 1953), pp. 528-529.
General formula for amino acids
Table 1-4 Yields from
Sparking Mixture of CH4,
NH2 , H2O and H2
Autobiogenesis:
Spontaneous Origin
of Life
Research into
1970’s supportive
Oparin, Haldane, 1930’s
First photograph ever taken from the surface of Mars.
Viking 1 Lander July 20, 1976.
Primary objectives of the Viking missions
- obtain high-resolution images of the Martian surface,
- characterize the atmosphere and surface
- search for evidence of life on Mars.
http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2003-00061.html
“…recent advances…have thrown serious
doubts on the anoxic [oxygen free] model…”
—H. Clemmey and N. Badham
“Oxygen in the precambrian atmosphere:
An evaluation of the geological evidence.”
Geology 10(3), 145 (March 1982).
“No geological or geochemical evidence collected
in the last 30 years favors a strongly reducing
primitive atmosphere…Only the success of the
laboratory experiments recommends it.”
—R.A. Kerr
“Origin of life: new ingredients suggested.”
Science 210(4465), 42 (October 3, 1980).
Autobiogenesis:
Spontaneous Origin
of Life
Oparin, Haldane, 1930’s
Can Random Reactions Produce a Protein?
Typical protein
N = 100-300
How many ways to arrange 100 amino acids,
5 of each type?
N!
W = # arrangements =
n1!n2! n20!
100! 100!
115



10
20
5!5! 5!
10115 different peptides <105 useful for life
Can Random Reactions Produce a Protein?
How long will it take to create a particular polypeptide?
(1041)(1014 rearrange/s)(1017s) = 1072 polypeptides
vs.
10115 possible structures
fastest chemical reaction
age of Earth?
Maillard Reactions Degrade Proteins
Oparin, Haldane, 1930’s
Do We Know Enough to
Reconstruct Life In Vitro?
M.L. Shuler
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Cornell University
Metabolic Features of the Minimal Cell
Model
External
Medium
(31 chemicals)
How to Create a Minimal Cell Model
Computational Chromosome
Proposed Reaction
Rates
• Gil, et al. gene set (207 protein coding genes)
Si = species i
• Removed “poorly characterized” genes
S = all species
• Added rRNA, tRNA, transporter genes
p = all parameters
• 241 genes total
(102 single genes, 19 gene clusters)
Ej = enzyme j
• smallest real cell = 454 genes
• 600 nucleotides/gene
Minimum Model Requires:
4 Compartments
241 Genes
408 Chemical Species
570 Reactions
1,176 Reaction Parameters
36 Events
and still could not survive in nature
temperature, no cell wall
must feed 31 chemicals
The Enigma of the Origin of Life
“The largest stumbling block in bridging the gap between
nonliving and living still remains. All living cells are
controlled by information stored in DNA, which is
transcribed in RNA and then made into protein.
This is a very complicated system, and each of these
three molecules requires the other two--either to put it
together or to help it work. DNA, for example, carries
information but cannot put that information to use, or
even copy itself without the help of RNA and protein.”
Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine, Biology: The Living Science (Upper Saddle River, New
Jersey: Prentice Hall), 1998, p.406-407.
Did life arise on another planet?
Theory of Panspermia –
Hoyle and Wickramasinghe 1980’s
Stanley Miller:
the chemical origin
of life is a lot more
difficult than we
first imaged
Father of 'Origin of
Life’
Chemistry Dies
May 21, 2007
National
Geographic 1998
• Antony Flew, a British philosophy
professor and leading champion
of atheism for more than half a
century, changed his mind and
became a deist at the age of 81.
• He said it was a result of “my growing empathy
with the insight of Einstein and other noted
scientists”
• In an interview with ABC News Flew indicated
that a "super-intelligence is the only good
explanation for the origin of life and the complexity
of nature."
Did life begin by chance or by
design?
–
–
–
–
–
Huge amount of information in the molecules
of life
No naturalistic theory for origin of life
We know that intelligence can create
molecules of life
Design is not an argument from ignorance
Is a “super intelligence the only good
explanation for the origin of life (A. Flew)” ?
The world looks more complex to a scientist.
The world looks more beautiful to a scientist.
Science teaches humility.
This comes from an understanding
of what we do not know.
Belief in a Creator has energized the
greatest scientists.
Questions for discussion
1. Growing up, what were you taught about the origin of life?
2. This presentation argues that life could not have arisen apart
from some sort of design. What do you think about the reasons
given?
3. Do you have any questions concerning what was shared
personally?
1. Charles Hummel, The Galileo Connection: Resolving Conflicts Between Science and the Bible (1986). Telling the fascinating stories of
Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Pascal, Charles E. Hummel provides a historical perspective on the favorable relationship
between science and Christianity.
2. Nancy Pearcey and Charles Thaxton, The Soul of Science: Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy (1994). Pearcey and Thaxton deliver a
more accurate portrayal of the origin and progress of science by recognizing the influence of Christianity on science. The popular
impression that great discoveries were made despite Christian beliefs is soundly refuted by many historical examples where definitive
progress was made within the framework of religious and philosophical ideas. The authors present in a new light the influence of the
medieval church upon scientific advancement and demonstrate that Newton, Descartes, and others were working to prove or expand upon
their religious principles within the Judeo-Christian world-view.
3. Stanley Miller and Leslie Orgel, The Origins of Life on the Earth (1974). In this book, Miller and Orgel attempt a comprehensive
presentation of the chemistry and physics of the early Earth and how it led to the origin of life. Much of the discussion is obviously
speculative as the relevant observations are lost to geologic time, but this is tempered with a thorough discussion of the chemistry of the
simple organic molecules that have been formed in a variety of prebiotic simulation experiments. The emphasis is decidedly on "what could
have happened" given the right conditions and how this could have led towards the origin of life
4. Charles Thaxton, Walter Bradley and Roger Olsen, The Mystery of Life's Origin: Reassessing Current Theories (1984). This book was
one of the earlier attempts to critically evaluate the many theories regarding the naturalistic origin of life on the Earth. It is heavy with
chemistry and biochemistry but well-written and accessible to most college level science students. It tries to answer the scientifically
relevant question, did it really happen this way and not settle for just any plausible mechanism which stretch to the extreme limits of what
might be possible.
5. Christopher Wills and Jeffrey Bada, The Spark of Life: Darwin and the Primeval Soup (2000). Biologist Christopher Wills and marine
chemist Jeffrey Bada present a lively summary of the research looking for signs of life elsewhere and clues to the origin of terrestrial
organisms in The Spark of Life. Their writing is clear and every concept is explained well in terms the layman can understand. Bada's
insider status with NASA provides insight not found elsewhere. They examine the full gamut of theories, from extraterrestrial origin to life
spilling out of hydrothermal vents to deep-crust genesis, identifying strengths and weaknesses in them all.
6. Raphael Ikan (editor), The Maillard Reaction: Consequences for the Chemical and Life Sciences (1996). This book is a collection of nine
chapters, each written by an expert in the particular sub-field, describing various aspects of the Maillard reaction in detail. Chapters include
discussions of the geochemical aspects, thermal processes, impacts of the Maillard reaction on the nutritional value of food, genotoxicity
and more. This book was written for graduates students and research scientists, not for the novice reader.