Articles Index

Abiogenesis, the Nature of Life, and Entropy
The nature of the earliest forms of life on our planet are unknown and may remain that way, but we keep coming closer to understanding what they may have been like. Whatever they were like, it seems clear that they arose out of a process of molecular self-assembly. This process is commonplace in our universe. If you look up into the night sky, you’ll see countless stars and galaxies which arose spontaneously by a process of self-assembly.

Abiogenesis & Evolution
As if evolution and evolutionary theory were not already confusing enough, many creationists complicate matters even further by promulgating the mistaken idea that evolution is the same as abiogenesis. One common way this is done is to argue that evolution cannot explain how life began while creationism can and, therefore, creationism is superior to evolution.

Abiogenesis & Probabilities
A common criticism of abiogenesis is the alleged improbability of life developing by natural means. Often cited is Sir Fred Hoyle, a British astronomer and mathematician, who calculated the odds at 1 in 10 to the 40,000 power against the proteins serving as enzymes in a cell all forming by chance. Is this a valid argument against life developing naturally?

Abiogenesis, the Nature of Life
What is life, anyway? Despite how often it is used, biologists have had difficulty coming up with a coherent definition which would distinguish between life and non-life. The line between the two is not nearly so clear and easy to find as people often assume.

Life From the Deep: Extremophiles
Some organisms which make their homes on - and in - the earth can be far stranger than most can realize. Thiobacillus thio-oxidans feed upon sulfur and can exist in concentrations of sulfuric acid strong enough to kill all other creatures or dissolve metal. Hyperthermophiles grow in temperatures approaching 350 degrees Celsius. Chemotrophs produce nutrition independent of the sun’s energy - complete ecosystems exist without ever seeing the sun and would die if exposed to the surface.

Life From Space: Mars and Asteroids
Can life survive a journey through space? Experiments offer a resounding yes. For example, Japanese scientists sealed up Bacillus subtilis spores and other various organisms in a vacuum chamber and simulated the conditions of space exposure over a period of 250 years. In the end. half the sample survived, with the tobacco-mosaic virus doing the best at an 85% survival rate. It should be noted that these were normal organisms, not extremophiles which thrive in the nastiest conditions.