I have often read your quote by E. H. Hiebert and was curious to its
meaning. Thermodynamics is a subject devoid of dynamics, therein lies its
strength. It can be treated like plane Euclidean geometry in that there are
a few postulates and then one can derive all sorts of theorems from the
postulates. However, nothing can be calculated within thermodynamics
without introducing the dynamics via statistical mechanics.
Take care,
Moorad
-----Original Message-----
From: Brian D Harper <bharper@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu>
To: asa@lists.calvin.edu <asa@lists.calvin.edu>
Date: Wednesday, May 12, 1999 7:08 PM
Subject: Life in the Lab
>
>I'm afraid I'm somewhat behind on this thread and haven't
>had time yet to read through Kevin's most recent posts.
>I was digging around in some of our on-line data bases
>and managed to find another reference which I thought
>I'd pass along. Apologies if Kevin already mentioned this
>one :).
>
>==========begin===========================================
>Title:
> "Experimental retracement of the origins of a protocell: It was
> also a protoneuron," Journal of Biological Physics. 20 (1-4) 1-4 . 17-36.
>
>Authors:
> Fox, Sidney W.; Bahn, Peter R.; Dose, Klaus; Harada, Kaoru;
> Hsu, Laura; Ishima, Yoshio; Jungck, John; Kendrick, Jean;
> Krampitz, Gottfried; Lacey., James C., Jr.; Matsuno, Koichiro;
> Melius, Paul; Middlebrook, Mavis; Nakashima, Tadayoshi;
> Pappelis, Aristotel; Pol, Alexander; Rohlfing, Duane L.;
> Vegotsky, Allen; Waehneldt, Thomas V.; Wax, H.; Yu, Bi
>
>
>Abstract:
> Although Oparin used coacervate droplets from two or more
> types of polymer to model the first cell, he hypothesized
> homacervation from protein, consistent with Pasteur and
> Darwin. Herrera made two amino acids and numerous cell-like
> structures ("sulfobes") in the laboratory, which probably arose
> from intermediate polymers. Our experiments have conformed
> with a homoacervation of thermal proteinoid, in which amino
> acid sequences are determined by the reacting amino acids
> themselves. All proteinoids that have been tested assemble
> themselves alone in water to protocells. The protocells have
> characteristics of life defined by Webster's Dictionary:
> metabolism, growth, reproduction and response to stimuli in
> the environment. The protocells are able also to evolve to
> more modem cells including the initiation of a nucleic acid
> coding system. Principal spinoffs from the results are revised
> evolutionary theory, models for protoneurons and networks
> thereof, and numerous industrial applications of thermal
> polyamino acids. Life itself has thus been reaffirmed to be
> rooted in protein, not in DNA nor RNA, which are however
> crucial to inheritance in modern life as "instruction manuals'
> (Komberg). Recognition of the advances have been
> considerably delayed by the deeply held assumption that life
> began by chance from random polymerization of amino acids,
> in contrast to the experimental findings. The concepts of
> DNA/RNA-first and protein-first are reconciled by a
> rise-and-fall progression as often seen in biochemical and
> biological evolution. The fact that amino acids order
> themselves explains in turn that thermal copolyamino acids are
> finding numerous applications. The entire sequence of
> processes in the proteinoid origins theory is now seen to be
> highly deterministic, in close accord with Einstein.
>==============================================================
>
>One interesting thing about this paper is the number of
>authors, some very well known. The names that jumped out
>at me were Klaus Dose and Koichiro Matsuno. Perhaps others
>may be familiar with some of the other names. So, we have
>these two prominent researchers willing to sign their
>names to a paper claiming that protocells are alive. While
>not establishing a consensus, it at least establishes the
>view as legitimate minority opinion.
>
>Seeing Koichiro's name reminded me that I had a brief e-mail
>discussion with him several years ago about Hubert Yockey.
>So, I decided to send him an e-mail to see if he would
>express his views on the subject. I'll let the group know
>if he replies.
>
>Many thanks to Kevin for the effort he has expended in
>defending his claim. Maybe I'll be able to say more once
>I've looked at his posts.
>
>
>Brian Harper
>Associate Professor
>Applied Mechanics
>The Ohio State University
>
>"All kinds of private metaphysics and theology have
>grown like weeds in the garden of thermodynamics"
>-- E. H. Hiebert
>