Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 65 (9162 total)
5 online now:
Newest Member: popoi
Post Volume: Total: 915,817 Year: 3,074/9,624 Month: 919/1,588 Week: 102/223 Day: 13/17 Hour: 0/1


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Simultaneous Evolution?
sac51495
Member (Idle past 4719 days)
Posts: 176
From: Atlanta, GA, United States
Joined: 04-02-2010


Message 1 of 2 (574109)
08-14-2010 2:38 AM


Although I don't necessarily plan to get really into this discussion, I would like to start this discussion up and hope that some discussion will ensue.
The topic name - simultaneous evolution - indicates that this is to be a discussion of those characteristics that we see in the world around us which are mutually supportive of one another, and necessary to one another. The question is this: how would these things evolve in the world of an evolutionist?
For example, take the second most important chemical in cells (second perhaps to proteins) - deoxy-ribonucleic acid. Without this chemical - which is the information base of the cell - no life could be expected to carry on, because there would be no way of creating proteins, nor of reproduction. But is DNA the only necessary chemical for the creating of proteins in a cell? Ribonucleic acid is equally as important. It's primary distinction from DNA is (unless I'm remembering wrong) that it has the nucleotide uracil, whereas DNA has the nucleotide thymine instead. RNA is also comprised of a single strand, while DNA is comprised of two.
So here we have two chemicals working together to create something, with DNA being the information, while RNA can be seen as the language interpreter.
So where does the problem arise? Well, information is useless unless it is organized into a form in which it can be made useful. I could write "qbcab, sei8bj - eisligh", and tell you that that was information, but unless it is organized into a recognizable form, or a workable form, it is entirely useless. RNA serves this function in a cell, by "interpreting" the information in the DNA, and translating it so that it can be useful, through the correct sequencing of amino acids to form proteins to be used in the cells for various functions...
But DNA (information) is completely useless, that is unless it has RNA (the language interpreter). But RNA serves no function unless there is DNA (information) to be interpreted.
So the question is this: why, or how, could information (DNA) and an interpreter (RNA) conveniently arise at the same time so that they can be useful to one another? Aside from the obvious complications of forming information by itself, there is the extreme difficulty of getting an "interpreter" (RNA) to arise at the same time...Without RNA, DNA is completely and utterly useless, even if it is organized in such a way that it contains information, and RNA is completely and utterly useless unless DNA is present.
So:
(1) - Neither DNA or RNA by themselves would have any "survival value" whatsoever.
(2) - You still have the complication of getting the DNA to be organized in a useful way in the first place.
(3) - You also have to have a cytoplasm in which the RNA can use the information to synthesize proteins.
(4) - ...I'd be glad for some other people to think of more difficulties that would be brought about by this example.

There are other examples of "simultaneous evolution" in this world that are difficult to deal with, but I will not list them now, though I may in a later post. If anyone else can think of any other example of simultaneous evolution that they think are very good examples, please share them, for our mutual enlightenment.

"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb." - (Psalm 139:13)

Admin
Director
Posts: 12998
From: EvC Forum
Joined: 06-14-2002
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 2 of 2 (574125)
08-14-2010 7:38 AM


Thread Copied to Origin of Life Forum
Thread copied to the Simultaneous Evolution? thread in the Origin of Life forum, this copy of the thread has been closed.

Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024