A Case Against Accident and Sell-Organization Dean L. Overman ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Lanham • Boulder • New York • Oxford Copyright © 1997 by Dean L. Overman All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Quotation reprintedwith the permission of Simon & Schuster from Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Copyright© 1955,1961 by Joseph Heller. Copyright renewed (c) 1989 by Joseph Heller. Quotations reprinted with the permission of Adler & Adler from Evolution: A Theoryin Crisis by Michael Denton. Copyright© 1985 by Michael Denton. Quotations reprinted with the permission of Cambridge Univer­ sity Press from Information Theory and Molecular Biology by Hubert Yockey. Copyright© 1992 by Cambridge University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Overman,Dean L. A case against accident and self-organizationI Dean L. Overman. p. em. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8476-8966-2 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Life-Origin. 2. Molecular biology. 3. Probabilities. 4. Self-organizing systems. 5. Cosmology. 6. Nuclear astrophysics. 7. Evolution-Philosophy. I. Title QH325.084 1997 576.8'3-dc21 97-25885 CIP ISBN 0-8476-8966-2 (cloth: alk. ppr.) TII e The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences­ Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI 239.48-1984. This book is dedicated to Linda, Christiana, and Elisabeth. CONTENTS FOREWORD ..................................................................................... xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................. xv PREFACE .............................................. ..... ....................................... xvii POWERS OF TEN ............................................................................ xix PART I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................ ! PART II: VERBAL AND MATHEMATICAL LOGIC RELATING TO QUESTIONS PRESENTED ................... 3 2.1. Influence of metaphysical assumptions ................................. 3 2.2. Thoughts as products of accidents .......................................... 4 2.3. Valid and false reasoning ...................... .................................... 5 2.3.1. Valid and invalid syllogisms ............................................ 5 2.3.2. Extrapolations froma small amount of data ................... 7 2.3.3. Inconsistencies within the context of terms .................... 9 2.3.4. Hidden assumptions and contrivances in mathematics . .. .. .. .. .. ... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. ... .. 11 2.3.5. Circular reasoning ................... ..................................... 17 2.3.6. Failure to confirm hypothesis and assumed validity of alternate explanation .............. ......... .... ..... ........... 20 2.3.7. Confusingsequence with cause ..................................... 21 2.3.8. Modificationof question presented ............................... 22 2.4. Limits on logic: lawyers, liars, and Godel' s Incompleteness Theorem in mathematics ............................ 23 2.5. Uncertainty in quantum mechanics ...................................... 29 vii viii Contents PART III: CASE AGAINST ACCIDENT FROM MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITIES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY ................................................................. 31 3.1. Definition of life ........................................................................ 31 3.2. DNA, RNA, protein synthesis and the genetic code .......... 34 3.3. Theory of the emergence of life from accidental or chance processes ..................................................................................... 38 3.4. Facticious flaws in the Miller and Urey line of experiments ................................................................................ 41 3.4.1. Less reducing atmosphere of early earth ..................... 41 3.4.2. Inefficacy of random distribution of left and right handed molecules as building blocks for life .. .... .... ..... ........ 44 3.4.3. Dilution processes in the prebiotic soup and the prevention of formation of polypeptides .............. ......... 44 3.4.4. Factor of facticious manipulation of researcher ............. 48 3.5 Limited time available for formation of life from accidental or chance processes .................................................................. 49 3.6. Calculating mathematical probabilities of accidental or chance events ............................................................................. 51 3.7. Mathematical probability of random protein/enzyme and bacterium formation ................................................................. 58 3.7.1. Calculations of Sir Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickrama­ singhe for random generation of a simple enzyme and calculations for a single celled bacterium . .. .... .. ... 58 3.7.2. Calculations of Hubert Yockey for random generation of a single molecule of iso-1-cytochrome c protein . ............ 60 3.7.3. Calculations of Bradley and Thaxton for random production of a single protein . ... .... ... ..... ..... .... .. 62 3.7.4. Calculations of Harold Morowitz for single celled bacterium developing from accidental or chance processes ................. ..... ........ .................. .... ............. 63 3.7.5. Calculations of Bernd-Olaf Kuppers for the random generation of the sequence of a bacterium . .... ... ...... 64 3.8. Additional challenges from complexity ................................ 65 Contents ix PART IV: THE PROBLEM OF COMPLEXITY: THE GENERATION OF SUFFICIENT INFORMATION CONTENT ........................................................................................... 69 4.1. Absence of plausible method of generating sufficient information content into inorganic matter even in a system far from equilibrium ................................................................. 69 4.1.1. Insufficiencyof energy flow alone to generate adequate information content .................................... ..... ............ 69 4.1.2. The improbability of RNA as a catalyst for the origin of life ................................................................ ........... ..... 71 4.1.3. Other theories of self-organization in nonequilibrium systems ..... ... .................. .............................. ............... 73 4.1.3.1. Order without specifiedcomplexity .............. 75 4.1.3.2. Silicate crystals: self-replication without specified complexity ................... ................... 77 4.1.3.3. Deep sea hydrothermal vents ........................ 79 4.1.3.4. Metabolism recapitulating biogenesis ........... 82 4.1.3.5. Complexity on the edge of chaos ................... 89 4.1.4. ALH84001 ..................................................................... 92 4.2. Present absence of a plausible scientific theory for generating information content into inert matter ............ 101 PART V: CASE AGAINST ACCIDENT FROM PRECISION OF VALVES IN PARTICLE ASTROPHYSICS REQUIRED FOR THE FORMATION OF LIFE ......................................................... 103 5.1. Background foundation for discussion of precision of values in particle astrophysics .............................................. 104 5.1.1. Hubble's discoveryof the expansion of the universe ... 104 5.1.2. The Big Bang theory................................... .. .. .. ........ 106 5.1.3. Blackbody radiation evidence for the Big Bang .......... 108 5.1.4. The singularity ad initium and the singularities of black holes .............. .............................. ....... .... .... ... .... ..... 109 5.1.5. The four fundamentalforces, quantum particle structure and grand unified theories ....... ..................... ... ......... 112 X Contents 5 01 . 5 01 . Four fundamental forces oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 112 5 0 1 .5 02 0 Theory of quantum particle structure and quantum chromodynamics 0 00 00 0 0 00 0 00 00 0 0 00 0 000 00 0 0 0 0 113 5 01 . 50201 . Overview ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 113 501 . 502020 Antiparticles 0 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 00 00 0 000 0 0 00 0 0 0 00 114 5 01 . 50203 0 Analogies between atomic and subatomic world ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 115 501 . 5 02 040 Leptons ooooOOOOOOOooooooooo ooooooooooOO OOOOOOOO 116 5 01 . 5 0 2 0 50 Quarks ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 117 5 01 . 50206 0 Dimensionless features of quarks and leptons, the singularity, and the excess of particles over antiparticles ooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo 118 501 . 503 0 Grand unified extra dimensional theories 00000 119 501 . 5 0 301 . Guts and strings oooooooooooooooooooooooooo 119 5 01 . 503 02 0 Symmetry and Kaluza-Klein extra dimensional theories 00 00 0 000 00 00 0 00 000 00 119 5 0 1 . 5 03030 Supersymmetry and supergravity theories 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 00oo 00 000 00 0 00 000 0 00 00 0 000 00 00 00 120 5010 50 3 . 40 String theories 00000 0000000 000000 00000000000 121 5 ° 1 . 60 Particle and fundamental force activity in the early universe 0 00 0 0 00 00 0 000 00 00 000 0 0 00 0 00 00 000 0 00 0 00 00 0 0 0 000 00 00 0 0 0 00 00 0 0 00 0 00 000 00 00 124 5 0 2 0 Examples of precision of values in particle astrophysics necessary for life oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 127 502 0 1 . Resonance precision required for existence of carbon, a necessary element for life ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooOOoooooooooooo 128 5 0 2 0 2 0 Explosive power of Big Bang precisely