Blowing Scientists Minds

[abaris]

As usual, my dirty mind deviates. I constantly read the thread title as blowjob scientists.

[Darkstar]

On the questions that I asked, it was going on the angle that maybe something was here and then got wiped out like the dinosaurs.  It turn, life started back up again.

Here's the thing: Life didn't start back up again; it never ended in the first place. Yes, the dinosaurs got wiped out, but other forms of life (such as mammals) persisted. Even the Great Permian Extinction didn't wipe out all life. It is entirely possible that the first ever cells were eradicated before they could evolve, and more of them formed at a later date. But, for the cut to appear very much later in the evolutionary timeline simply wouldn't fit at all with the fossil and genetic evidence we have today.

[ignoramus]

I think we had a similar conversation a while ago.
Just like all humans didn't arise from adam and eve, so too, life itself did not start from one cell in one place at one time.
There would've been billions of cellular activity evolving around the world independently of each other.

What they all have in common is the same DNA mechanics.
The theory is that this is the only combination of chemicals which can turn chemicals into self replicating life.
(And possibly anywhere/everywhere in the universe) ..The universe shares the same periodic table of the elements.
This is not to say that nature didn't try a squillion possibilities via trial and error, she did ... but only our dna works.

That's the prize for 4 billion years of hard work! Life itself.

[Alex K]

@ignoramus

Is there any evidence or theoretical reasoning that in extant organisms, the cell evolved independently more than once? Of course Archaea, Procaryotes and Eucaryotes have very different cells today, but I always assumed that they came from the same group of ancestors with a primitive cell.

[ignoramus]

yes, agree. The same "group" of ancestors, not same individual cells as some may assume. (adam and eve fallacy)

[Alex K]

The adam and eve business gets a bit fuzzy round the edges one you're dealing with single-celled organisms who can procreate via division...

[robvalue]

Let C(x) be the complexity of the scientific explanation for event x
Let L(y) be the complexity limit for theist y
Let E(x,y) be the explanation from theist y of the event x
Let m be magic

Then it's easy to show:

E(x,y) = {x when C(x) <= L(y); m otherwise}

[Homeless Nutter]

---

Let C(x) be the complexity of the scientific explanation for event x
Let L(y) be the complexity limit for theist y
Let E(x,y) be the explanation from theist y of the event x
Let m be magic

Then it's easy to show:

---

E(x,y) = {x when C(x) <= L(y); m otherwise}

That's basically Arthur C. Clarke's 3rd law - with science in place of technology.

[robvalue]

Haha, yes good point!

[Mudhammam]

@OP

Define "life." As Rob likes to point out, "life" doesn't mean anything until you define it.