tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26682722.post3476435229802384465..comments2024-03-27T11:39:00.859-07:00Comments on Stones and Bones: Mr. Benedict misrepresents Manfred EigenGary S. Hurdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296691454238708856noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26682722.post-21159219931333963472011-07-15T11:06:39.311-07:002011-07-15T11:06:39.311-07:00Thank you doctor for your time. You have certainly...Thank you doctor for your time. You have certainly given me some things to digest and to work with in my search for some answers. I certainly go appreciate it, as I point out here.<br /><br />http://pointsofinteresttome.blogspot.com/2011/07/so-yeah.htmlPointsOfInteresthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07746778963188201925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26682722.post-41048944761145835022011-07-15T07:24:36.429-07:002011-07-15T07:24:36.429-07:00PS: Fry's book is a bit dated on the current o...PS: Fry's book is a bit dated on the current origin of life research. For example, the prebiotic chemistry of the nucleotides is much clearer now, and the role of minerals in the origin of life is now seen as critically important.Gary S. Hurdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296691454238708856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26682722.post-68375313655088013152011-07-15T07:20:29.350-07:002011-07-15T07:20:29.350-07:00The best on-line sources for information on the or...The best on-line sources for information on the origin of the universe are;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/cosmolog.htm" rel="nofollow">Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial </a><br /><br /><a href="http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/" rel="nofollow">The Berkely Cosmology Group"</a><br /><br />and, the best introduction is;<br /><br /><a href="http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/" rel="nofollow">NASA Cosmology:The Study of the Universe</a><br /><br />I was think this morning that nearly all good books on the origin of life have a section on the question of what is life? The best introduction to this was by Iris Fry, "The Emergence of Life on Earth: A Historical and Scientific Overview" (2000 Rutgers University Press). Her presentation makes the connection of how our advances in understanding what life is has led to changes in how we think life originated.Gary S. Hurdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296691454238708856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26682722.post-41326110116545889962011-07-14T21:37:38.870-07:002011-07-14T21:37:38.870-07:00So as I understand it, the universe is made up of ...So as I understand it, the universe is made up of matter and energy. Matter is described as having mass and takes up volume. So going by the law of for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, would I be safe in saying that the big bang destroyed matter and then reconstructed that matter into what we now know to be our solar system or even universe. <br /><br />In the reconstruction of the matter into something that we know now is it possible that the "instructions" of the matter were somehow lost, as if caught in the event horizon of a black hole? There by being built back into a brew that caused the forming of life on Earth?<br /><br />Probably far off base I know but is it something that is workable as a theory? I am certainly not trying to rewrite the laws of physics just to get a better understanding of how we got here and could we be somewhere else?PointsOfInteresthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07746778963188201925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26682722.post-91491507277249605212011-07-14T20:19:02.603-07:002011-07-14T20:19:02.603-07:00I think I understand your question. Is the capacit...I think I understand your question. Is the capacity for evolution inherent to life?<br /><br />I would say yes. Nothing that is incapable of evolution can said to be alive. But, if evolution is an inherent property of any and all living things (and presumably everywhere in the universe, too) is there a need for a creator? From my study of the basic chemistry of life, I would say no; there is no need for any intervention to create life.<br /><br />Something could exist that does act in some way to increase the likelihood that life exists on some particular planet, or another. Over 30 years ago, I tried to sell a science fiction story with that as a background idea. It was called "You can't get there from here," and the idea was that we find out that there is no way for humans to leave the solar system. So, we send "life ships" that find a suitable planet and start life there. And then, we get a visit from the "people" who started life on Earth. (3.5 billion years ago as we know now, when I wrote the story I left the exact "when" vague).Gary S. Hurdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296691454238708856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26682722.post-65308392205033771392011-07-14T18:25:43.662-07:002011-07-14T18:25:43.662-07:00Well perhaps I should clarify a bit Doctor. First ...Well perhaps I should clarify a bit Doctor. First the question I posted to you is not so much a validation of God. It was more a question of doesn't it make sense that whatever created life on this planet did it with a thought to evolution?<br /><br />I am not convinced by teachings of the Bible as they were written, for the most part, by people who were not there. So I tend to think that whatever created life, a biological accident, higher power, whatever, did it with evolution in mind.<br /><br />I don't pretend to understand thermodynamics or the whole of the fossil record, but what I do understand of it does point to evolution being the logical course.<br /><br />I realize that my understanding is basic at best which is why I contacted you for more information. I do have the desire to understand more of it.PointsOfInteresthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07746778963188201925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26682722.post-26373109217850134162011-07-13T12:53:07.955-07:002011-07-13T12:53:07.955-07:00I want to appologise to "points of interest&q...I want to appologise to "points of interest" for the delay in their comment showing up on Stones and Bones. It was automatically sent to the "spam" file. I don't know why.<br /><br />The best way I can think of to tell a purely chemical reaction from 'life' is that the chemistry of life is a) cyclic, and b) capable of evolution. I see nothing in the origin of life that requires a supernatural manipulator.<br /><br />If you are looking for a justification of your belief in the supernatural, then you simply cannot look to the sciences. There seems to be no reason that an external, willful 'creator' is required. There are a fair number of physicists (more than a handful anyway) who think that there is a strange consistency, and apparent precision to cosmological constants. They think there is a consequent justification to the idea that these constants are artificial, implying a creator. An example would be;<br /><br />McGrath, Alister E.<br />2009 "A Fine-Tuned Universe" Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press<br /><br />And here is a counter argument;<br /><br />Susskind, Leonard <br />2005 "The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design" New York: Little and Brown PublishersGary S. Hurdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296691454238708856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26682722.post-51517967483989798482011-07-07T19:23:07.734-07:002011-07-07T19:23:07.734-07:00Dr Hurd. I have read a bit of your blog and while ...Dr Hurd. I have read a bit of your blog and while I don't pretend to understand all of it as I am not a scientist I do have a question for you. Do you suppose that whatever started the spark of life would have created it with an intelligent design that would allow life to evolve to better survive the environment in which it finds it's self? I do realize that life has evolved and everything that I have read about, that I understand of course, makes a certain amount of sense to me. Perhaps you can shed some light on this for me? I do apologize for the method of contact but I did find your name on the Knoxville News Sentinel comments section talking about evolution and was inspired to seek more information. Thank you in advance for your time.PointsOfInteresthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07746778963188201925noreply@blogger.com