What are the prevailing theories about the origin of life?

[nautica]

Information for life?

What are the "current" theories (hypothesis), which explain the original information for life? Besides creation.


Nautica

 

[FZ+]

What do you mean "original information for life"?

 

[iansmith]

Depend how far you want to go back.

You could read this physics post article
http://physicspost.com/articles.php?articleId=175

 

[nautica]

Originally posted by FZ+
What do you mean "original information for life"?

DNA is the information for life, where did it gets it information from??

Nautica

 

[Monique]

The human genome consists of about 3 billion basepairs. Only a very small fraction of that (I have heard 2%) actually codes for genes. There is a lot of room for experimentation. If a combination of bases works, it is conserved through evolution. Slowly but steadily the amount of information is accumulated in the genome to the book we now have.

 

[Phobos]

Originally posted by nautica
DNA is the information for life, where did it gets it information from??

How did life first form? (abiogenesis or biogenesis)
There is no strong (well evidenced), widely accepted scientific theory for that. So I don't think anyone will be able to tell you with 100% confidence how the first self replicating molecule came to be.

But I suppose at its most basic, the information comes from the laws of physics and chemistry. Those laws are what dictate how self replicating molecules work. The parent molecule itself is the blueprint (information) for the daughter molecule. The types and atoms within, and the structure of, the molecule are associated with certain chemical reactions.

Once you have a self-replicating molecule, then natural selection and mutation can take over and transform that molecule...which in Earth's history turned out to be DNA.

"Information" need not be some conscious aspect of the universe. For example, we can tell much about the characteristics of a star merely by examining that point of light in the sky. There is much information in that point of light (e.g., intensity, apparent motion, EM spectrum, etc.) even though it is non-living.

 

[Chemicalsuperfreak]

Originally posted by nautica
What are the "current" theories (hypothesis), which explain the original information for life? Besides creation.

Creation doesn't explain anything about where the information came from. How did God get the information?

 

[nautica]

I don't think anybody is understanding my question.

I understand DNA, how it replicates, codes for proteins, ect... I, also, understand that nobody can say for sure, how the first DNA molecule came about.

I am just wanting to here some different theories (hypothesis), on its origin. And, no I don't want to hear that GOD made it, I would rather here, how he made it.

Thanks
Nautica

 

[Bernardo]

I can almose feel your frustration, but I don't think there is an answer for this question.

Yes I believe that God made it. So that creates a problem in explaining it. Unfortunatly the Bible is not a scientific manual.

When you have a clay dish in your hand there are two ways to determine how it was made. First watch the potter make it, the second is to study the dish.

in respect to life we don't have the option of watching God create, we only have the creation to study and understand. This is the essence of science isn't it - understanding what's already there.

 

[Monique]

Your answer may be in the following thread?

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8034

 

[nautica]

I am not asking for an answer b/c I know that there is not one. I am looking for the current theories.

Nautica

 

[Monique]

That is the exact same question with which the other thread started. If you like to know more after looking through it you are free to ask.

 

[nautica]

thank you monique

nautica

 

[Monique]

So which theory do you think is interesting?

As was said in the thread I like the idea of hydrothermal vents, but lots of hypothesis still need to be tested in order to make more accurate statements on biogenesis.

 

[nautica]

Which is interesting? They are all interesting. Which do I believe? I have seen NO hypothesis, which has led me in any direction - that is why I originally posed the question.

So many things in our history were completely unexplainable. For example, the 1800's brought us the theory of evolution in contrast to the indivual creation of each species. At this point, I can follow the evidence back to (at least in theory) to the original molecule of life: DNA or RNA, which ever came first (chicken/egg delima) but I am having extreme difficulty buying any current theory on the "original" design of these molecules and how extremely low the probabilities are of this "molecule" forming without a design or creator, which ever you prefer.

I guess, what I am saying is that is where my "faith" takes over, and I see no evidence to the contrary. But that does not mean that my mind is closed to theories, I would love to see one tested and accepted - until then I will hold on to my current belief - and if a theory is accepted my belief may or may not change.

Nautica