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Science & ChristianitySeminar Series
Part 1: Origins of Life?
ABSK [Asian Baptist Student Koinonia]
presents:
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Outline of todayssession
1. Precise Universal Physical Constants
2. Consequences of Big Bang
3. Origin of Biological Molecules
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Universal PhysicalConstants
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Just how precise?
Example 1: Expansion of the Universe
If larger, no galaxy formation
If smaller, universe collapses beforestar formation
In fact, it is precise to a factor of
1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000
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Even more precisefor
Force of Gravity
If larger, stars would be too hot and
would burn up quickly & unevenly
If smaller, stars would be too cool and
nuclear fusion would not ignite (no
heavy element production)
In fact, it is precise to a factor of
1 in 10100 [thats 100 zeros]
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Very, very, veryprecise!
50 such universal physical constants are likewise
fine-tuned
[over many years there had grown up a
collection of] a series of mysterious coincidencesbetween the numerical values of the fundamental
constants of Nature. The possibility of our own
existence seems to hinge precariously upon
these coincidences
[Preface to The Anthropic Cosmological Principle
by Barrow & Tipler]
universe seems to be intentionally designed
and created for life
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Background on BigBang Theory
Evidence for the Big Bang Theory has
been quite superior to competing
cosmology theories since 1929
But many scientists refused to accept it
for one reason or another
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Fears about the BigBang
Philosophically, the notion of a
beginning of the present order of
nature is repugnantI should like to
find a genuine loopholewe must
allow evolution an infinite time to get
started. [Sir Arthur Eddington]
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Big evidence for BigBang
1992 COBE satellite (Cosmic Background
Explorer satellite)--Background radiation
its the discovery of the century, if not for all
time [Stephen Hawking, Cambridge Univ.]
the handwriting of God
[Dr. George Smoot, astrophysicist,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory] there was a definite beginning to the universe
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But does it give usenough time?
Agnostic biophysicist Dr. Harold
Morowitz wondered
Suppose you break all chemical bondsin the simplest organism (a bacteria)
and put those atoms under ideal
chemical conditions
Question: How long would it take for it
to reassemble?
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Answer: 10100,000,000,000years!
Written out completely, that would be:
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,00
0,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,00
0,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,(on and on)
a thousand sets of Encyclopedia Britannicas
filled with zeros!!
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So, is it feasible?
10100,000,000,000 yrs is impossible because
Hydrogen atoms would decay after [~1033 years]
500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years
Heat death of the universe will occur at80,000,000,000 years
Big Bang restricts the age of the universe to be
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But even a narrowerwindow
Life has been abundant on earth throughout the
past 3.86 billion years
Life must have originated & reoriginated as many
as 50 times in the 360 million-year time span Thus, life must have begun in within a 10 million-
year window (thats just 10,000,000 years)
but this is way too short for random chance.
3.86 billion
years ago
3.5 billion
years agofossil records available
at least 50 life-ending catastrophes* * * * *
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Origin of BiologicalMolecules
Big Problem: enzymes are required tohelp amino acid & nucleotide formation
So how did the first amino acids &
nucleotides get formed?
Nucleotides (4) RNA & DNA
Amino Acids (20) Proteins & Enzymes
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From the prebioticsoup?
Oparins hypothesis on prebiotic
earths composition (1924) :
Ammonia, methane, and hydrogen
In 1953, Miller boiled the above in
water and added electrical sparks to
simulate early earth and obtained 3
kinds of amino acids
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Flaws of Millersexperiment
Only 1 out of 200 tries got amino acids
Just 2% of it was amino acids
Just the simplest amino acids
produced
Also, as reaction continued, the aminoacids degraded
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More problematicfactors
UV radiation was also present back then:
Methane would be converted to
hydrocarbons (oils)
Ammonia gets destroyed
Hydrogen would have escaped into the
atmosphere
Atmospheric physicists & geochemists
now say early earth only had nitrogen,
carbon dioxide, and water
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Miller nowconfesses
[40 years later after his first experiment]
the problem of the origin of life has
turned out to be much more difficultthan I, and most other people,
envisioned.
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Problems with buildingRNAs
Incompatibility within nucleotide synthesis:
Cytosine & Uracil are made near boiling
water temperatures
BUT Adenine & Guanine are made near
freezing water temperatures
Some byproducts actually inhibit RNA
production
Also, prebiotic earths surface temperature
of 80-90C results in degradation of RNA
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More difficulties
Researchers now say there was
sufficient oxygen gas (O2) on planet
earth in the past 4.1 billion years
Under such oxidizing conditions, amino
acid and nucleotide production operate
30 million times less efficiently
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Concluding comments
"Astronomy leads us to an unique event, a
universe which was created out of nothing and
delicately balanced to provide exactly the
conditions required to support lifethe
observations of modern science seem to suggestan underlying, one might say, supernatural
plan
[Nobel Laureate Arno Penzias ]
the origin of life appears to be almost a miracle,so many are the conditions which would have
had to be satisfied to get it going [Nobel
Laureate Francis Crick]
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Some references
John D. Barrow and Frank J. Tipler, The Anthropic
Cosmological Principle (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1996)
J. P. Moreland (ed.), The Creation Hypothesis
(Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1994) Charles B. Thaxton, Walter L. Bradley, and Roger L.
Olsen, The Mystery of Lifes Origin: Reassessing
Current Theories (Dallas: Lewis and Stanley, 1992)
Robert Shapiro, Origins: A skeptics guide to thecreation of life on earth (New York: Summit Books,
1986)
www.origins.org - www.arn.org - www.leaderu.com
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Investigate further
Part 2:Problems with Evolution
Nov. 7 (Tuesday), 7pm @ 1128 Hart Hall
Weekly ABSK Bible studies on campus
Friday 7pm @ 194 Young Hall
Looking for a church? Visit BBC-Davis Chapel
Sundays 1:30pm @ 1801 Oak Ave.
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ABSKwww.absk.org/davis October 24, 2000