Re: Origins and Mental Activity

snip

H H
/ /
C H C H
/ \ / / \ /
H O C \ O H O C O
| \ / H | | \ / \H |
C- C- C -------- O--P--O-------C - C -C----------O--P--O
| | | || | ||
H H H O H O

this does not appear to be a sequence that will form without
intelligence, certainly not based on the normal pathways that
chemistry is observed to take.

snip>

Hi Zoe.
Your sequence appears to be, though highly contorted, two nucleotides
in a single DNA strand?
If deciphered correctly, the answer is yes! This type of molecule can
form from its constituent components (sugar, phosphate, bases)
whithout intelligent guidance.

They aren't very likely to form in a cloud of gas in outer space, I
must add! But given an aquatic enviroment on the surface of a planet,
temperatures between say
-20 and +200 degrees celsius, a solution of the components mentioned
above, and a bit of time to let the ingredients stir, all sorts of
complex, organic molecules will agregate and dissasemble
spontaneously. A fully formed, 220 million base pairs long strand of
human DNA would be ridiculous to expect in the primordial soup. But a
'simple' selfreplicating RNA-strand would be a sufficient seed for the
first evolutionary processes to begin.
All in accordance with chemical theory. There's no need for magic nor
intelligence.
The synthesis of complex aminoacids have been known to be possible by
purely spontaneous, unguided (uninteligent) means since the 50's (the
Miller-Urey experiment). And even the interstellar gasclouds are
loaded with simple, organic compounds, as shown in the list provided
by Garamond earlier in this thread. All it takes is a reasonably varm,
wet rock-planet for the process to occur upon.

The reason why we don't see strange, new forms of DNA assembling every
other day in our backyard pudle of mud, is first of all because free
sugars, phosphate, and bases aren't readily available in the puddle
today, as they were on abiotic earth some +3billion years back.
They're allmost all wrapped up in creatures, that are already alive.
Second: any new strands of protoDNA that actually self-assembles
today, has to compete for existence with the microbial life around it.
(Hint: though bacterias seem simple compared to us multicellular
creatures, they'll out-compete newbie protoDNA anytime. Heck, they'll
have it for breakfast - literally!)

Hope this actually answers your question.

Best regards,
Joh

.

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