Re: Probability of the origin of life

On Apr 5, 10:35 pm, Vernon Balbert <vbalb...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 4/5/2008 7:56 PM, Paul J Gans went clickity clack on the keyboard and
produced this interesting bit of text:



jdb <cont...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

100ºC is water's boiling point at typical altitudes today (back then,
the air pressure was higher, so water's boiling point would've been
lower).  

I think you mean *higher*.  Boiling occurs when the vapor pressure
of the liquid equals the confining pressure of the atmosphere.  If
atmospheric pressure is higher, then the temperature has to be higher
in order to have the vapor pressure of the water be higher since
vapor pressure increases with temperature.

Because it's indicative of a hostile temperature, boiling
water for several minutes is a recommended method of killing most
pathogens in untrusted water sources.  Given enough time, this is even
effective at altitudes where water's boiling point is ~70ºC.  It seems
unlikely to me that any truly organic matter was formed until after
the waters cooled down.

I doubt that it is the boiling itself that causes any harm to
microorganisms.  Boiling under normal conditions is indicative of
a high temperature and it is that that kills microorganisms.

One can make water boil at room temperature by lowering the vapor
pressure.  Something like a pressure of 0.33 atm ought to do it.

I can't disagree with your analysis of the physics of boiling water. (in
high school chemistry our teacher created a vacuum in an bell jar with a
dish of water in it.  The water simultaneously boiled and froze.)
However, it really doesn't address the issue that jdb is speaking of.

As for the point about organic matter not forming in such temperatures,
obviously it does.  The life around black smokers is varied.  Not only
do micro-organisms thrive there but so do tube worms, crabs and other
complex multi-cellular creatures.  This alone says that biological
material can not only form but can perform all the functions that life
needs to live and breed.  It doesn't say how life could have formed in
such an environment, but it does say that life can thrive in such an
environment.  Until more data is available, this is good enough for me.

--
"I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is
infinitely superior." - Hippolyte Taine

Life has specialized to fill all sorts of ecological niches that would
be hostile for protocells freshly emerged from non-living matter.
That's the beauty of evolution.

.

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