[extropy-chat] More irriducible complexity and ID

[Kurt Schoedel]

The statistical analysis on the initial formation of life from non-life 
has actually been done. Thomas Gold, in his book "The Deep Hot 
Biosphere" does some statistical analysis on the formation of the 
initial DNA and enzymes necessary to form life. He believes that there 
is enough "raw material" in the deep earth that the statistical chances 
of the first self-replicating DNA or RNA was above unity. He also 
believes that the conventional theory that life first formed in shallow 
pools on the surface is not statistically favorable (not enough shallow 
pools available at the time).

The conventional theory of evolution (the idea that evolution is driven 
by random mutations) does have flaws in it. There is new research in 
molecular biology that suggests that evolution may, in fact, be "self-
directed". This would explain why the rate of evolution has increased 
along with the increasing complexity of life forms. A good website for 
this idea is www.darwingenome.info.

Greg Bear (the SF writer) has incorporated some of these ideas in some 
of his more recent novels.


Kurt Schoedel
MetaTechnica