Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 64 (9164 total)
2 online now:
Newest Member: ChatGPT
Post Volume: Total: 916,902 Year: 4,159/9,624 Month: 1,030/974 Week: 357/286 Day: 0/13 Hour: 0/0


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Is Abiogenesis a fact?
EZscience
Member (Idle past 5183 days)
Posts: 961
From: A wheatfield in Kansas
Joined: 04-14-2005


Message 37 of 303 (304227)
04-14-2006 1:16 PM
Reply to: Message 36 by FutureIncoming
04-14-2006 11:40 AM


Re: Some Calculations
FI writes:
If we can imagine a pyramid of complexity, with simple molecules at the base and complexity-of-life at the top, then how big a base must be associated with that top-level complexity?
I'm a bit confused. Isn't this pyramid upside down? Are you talking about Gould's 'cone of increasing diversity'?
We normally imagine evolution as beginning from a small base and spiralling into a cone of diversity with the passage of time. You seem to have complexity at the apex, but maybe its your statistical approach I am not understanding.
Also, AWOA, you might want to break your text into some shorter snippets if you want people to read and respond to your ideas - makes it less intimidating to tackle a longer post - especially for a series of calculations.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 36 by FutureIncoming, posted 04-14-2006 11:40 AM FutureIncoming has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 38 by FutureIncoming, posted 04-14-2006 2:23 PM EZscience has replied

  
EZscience
Member (Idle past 5183 days)
Posts: 961
From: A wheatfield in Kansas
Joined: 04-14-2005


Message 39 of 303 (304252)
04-14-2006 2:59 PM
Reply to: Message 38 by FutureIncoming
04-14-2006 2:23 PM


Re: Some Calculations
Interesting heuristic approach.
Essentially, you are trying to show statistically that abiogenesis is not really beyond the realm of probability.
Some assumptions might be challenged, though.
Specifically the 10% interaction rule might be considered be a large estimate of the numbers of molecules interacting in each 'generation'. Of course you have to specify average values for these calculations, but there is no reason to expect this to have been either a gradual or a continuous process - could have been rapid gains in some periods interspersed by periods of relative stasis.
On a more fundamental level, you are considering molecular size as your only measure of complexity and it is not a good one. Polymers are big, but they are not complex. A small protein can have more complexity than a large polymer and a small strand of DNA can contain more potential information.
Again, I think your ideas might be more accessible for debate (and more people might read about them) if you went back and edited your long post into a more readable format.
You don't have to delete all the calculations, but try hitting the [enter] key after every couple of sentences

This message is a reply to:
 Message 38 by FutureIncoming, posted 04-14-2006 2:23 PM FutureIncoming has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024