The code that is DNA

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

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James Tour :

“The transformation of an ensemble of appropriately chosen biological
monomers (e.g. amino acids, nucleotides) into a primitive living cell
capable of further evolution appears to *require overcoming an information
hurdle of superastronomical proportions, an event that could not have
happened within the time frame of the Earth except, we believe, as a
miracle*



Professor Harold Morowitz shows the Origin of Life ‘problem’ escalates
dramatically over this 1 in 10^40,000 figure when working from a
thermodynamic perspective:

“The probability for the chance of formation of the smallest, simplest form
of living organism known is 1 in 10^340,000,000. This number is 10 to the
340 millionth power! The size of this figure is truly staggering since
there is only supposed to be approximately 10^80 (10 to the 80th power)
electrons in the whole universe!”
(Professor Harold Morowitz, Energy Flow In Biology

I've read Morowitz's 'Energy Flow In Biology' (it was assigned reading at uni).  His writing tended to follow Darwin's style, in which he posited how unlikely something was, then went on to demonstrate that it wasn't so unlikely after all (Darwin famously did this with the evolution of the eye).

Morowitz did indeed write what was quoted above, but immediately demolished the idea, because the smallest, simplest form of life wasn't due to chance, but was constrained by chemistry and physics to occur along certain  pathways.  He held a pretty rigid view of the deterministic nature of evolution.  To imply that he believed the formation of life was mathematically impossible is simply quote mining of a particularly vile nature.

Boru