Questions about God and Science

[IATIA]

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Good stuff (we were thinking about different folks). I think the criticisms of this as it applied to self replicating molecules is that they are no such thing (at least not in the way that we currently understand self replication and even more specifically how self replication applies to life). That they exhibit limited replication (and suprisingly, to some, many of the characteristics of living cells), I don't think, was an issue of dissent, but self replication as we understand it is something else entirely.

Now, as far as a theory of the first self replicating molecule this does not qualify. It is a hypothesis (and there are others) of what the earliest replicating molecules could have been (replicating molecules are quite different from non-replicating inorganics..for example, but still quite different from self replicating organic systems). Unfortunately, as it applies to any discussion of origins these microspheres lack any means of transmitting information and were abandoned for mostly this reason in favor of RNA-as-origin of self replicating molecules, another hypothesis. Not that this hypothesis has cleared the bar to theory either (and as always, there are competent arguments against it).

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True, but there is enough information to show proof of concept and definitely worth following up. We have been able to create each of the pieces of the puzzle on their own, under natural conditions. We are just missing the full connection from one step to another. I expect soon that someone will step out of the 'box' and give us that 'aha' moment, an epiphany, if you will.