In a message dated 1/28/00 12:10:26 PM Dateline Standard Time, ccogan@sfo.com
writes:
>I doubt that life originated as DNA-based, or even RNA-based.
Where is the evidence that life ever existed other than a cellular,
DNA-based form? I understand your need to believe this, but
I see not a shred of convincing evidence for your belief.
>In this respect I agree with critics who say that it's just too improbable
to get a
>working organism that way. My guess (with Stuart Kauffman) is that life
>originated as some sort of loose confederation of molecules that served, as
>a group, to reproduce the components of the confederation. Selection for
>stability and reproductive capacity could begin at this level (or even
>lower, at the level of a single auto-catalyzing simple molecule), leading
>eventually to "mini-cells" (cell-like structures with a near-minimum of
>molecular "machinery," vastly simpler than any cells we know of today).
Yes, this has been the rather fruitless guess for the last 100 years.
Once again, I understand your need for imaginary entitites vastly
simpler that what is observed to exist. But how can we falsify this claim?
Mike
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Jan 29 2000 - 10:35:31 EST