Simplified version of paper "Selfreplicating Molecular Systems at the Beginning of Evolution"

August 6th 2003 Hrvoje Marjanovi (Hanuman das) email: marjanovic@kickdarwin.org www.kickdarwin.org

Introduction
Goal of this article is to explain the argument in the main article in more simple words so that every adult can understand it. Darwin's theory of evolution claims that the matter can organize itself and gradually evolve all the way from simple hydrogen atoms up to human form of life through self-replication and mutation. In order to disprove this theory, we must find at least one strong argument along the whole chain. Question marks are all the way, but it is better to find one perfect argument than 15 imperfect arguments. So first we must decide which ring in the chain shall we break. That will be shown in the Figure 1. If we can break it, then whole theory is proven wrong. And that perfect argument is inability of simple primordial molecules to form self-replicating molecules (single cell organisms).
Humans

Many other questions can be raised, but we don't focus on them

? ? ?

Multi- cellular organisms Self replicating molecular systems (single cell organisms) Simple premordial molecules Other atoms Stars

Our argument is here

Termonuclear fusion - high pressure

gravity brings atoms together

Hydrogen atoms Big bang

Figure 1 - From the big bang to humans

As the main article says: "No terrestrial or extraterrestrial path from these simple primordial molecules to RNA or DNA has been discovered in fifty years of intense research at the worlds best universities." Now we will concentrate on the argument why there is no path from these simple primordial molecules to RNA or DNA.

Argument
In order to have evolution, we need two things, self-replication and mutation. In order to have self replication you need nucleic acids, DNA and RNA plus proteins as shown on the Figure 2.

evolution

self-replication & mutation

?2
DNA & RNA (Chain of nucleotides)

?3 ?
Proteins (Chain of aminoacids)

?1
Nucleotides

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Amino acids

Primordial molecules

Figure 2 - From primordial molecules to self-replicating organism

In order to have replication, you need DNA which holds information, you also need RNA to copy DNA, and you need proteins to help the whole process. Actually, you need much more that that, you need whole cell, with many other systems, but these are the basic stuff. Everything you need to know DNA, RNA, replication etc., you can learn at Nobel e museum: http://www.nobel.se/medicine/educational/dna/index.html

So, to repeat, you need nucleic acids to have self replication with mutation (quote from main article: Aside from nucleic acids, no one has succeeded in demonstrating under prebiotic conditions the formation of any kind of molecular system having the power of self-replication with mutations, which is required to start evolution) Now, let's discuss problems with numbers as presented with question marks and numbers on the Figure 2: 1. There were no nucleic acids in the primordial time. (Quote from main article: The oligomerization (binding together) of nucleotides to produce nucleic acids in the presence of water is a problem. Nucleic acids produced in drying ponds are broken down to nucleotides when water is introduced. Water must be introduced to mediate the next step in evolution, which is the replication of the nucleic acids by alignment of complementary nucleotides; water is needed to bring in the individual nucleotides and align them next to the complementary nucleotides of the nucleic acids.). There was no high enough concentration of nucleotides need for evolution. (Quote from main article: He wrote to me in a letter in May 2003 that there is no reason to believe that there were nucleotides in prebiotic times. He also wrote that popular presentations and biology textbooks on many levels, even up to university level, often make misleading statements that nucleotides in concentrations needed for evolution were easily available in prebiotic times. He called such statements mythology (Shapiro R. Origins: a Skeptics Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth, 1986, New York: Summit Books). Another chemistry professor who revealed this mythology is Professor Bruno Vollmert of the University of Karlsruhe in Germany (Das Molekl und das Leben, 1985, Hamburg: Rowohlt). 2. Even if you had nucleic acids, they are incapable of self-replication (quote from main article: I wrote to Professor Joyce in June of 2003 about this, and he wrote to me that no one has found a way to make nucleic acids capable of self-replication. I specifically asked him whether oligonucleotides have been observed to have greater access to the template than nucleotides, and he answered No. At this time, I also wrote a separate letter to Professor Orgel, who wrote to me that self-replication of nucleic acids has never been demonstrated. 3. A system composed of nothing other than proteins is incapable of evolution (quote from main article: No one has demonstrated a collection of proteins arising under prebiotic conditions that does anything other than decompose).

Conclusion
Quote from main article: This indicates that terrestrial organisms were designed, which gives rise to the interesting question, who was the designer? It is reasonable to suppose that the designers body is at least as complex as our bodies, which leads to the question, who designed his body? Since terrestrial organisms are too complex to arise without design, the same must be true of the designer. The hypothesis that terrestrial organisms were designed thus seems to give rise to an infinite regress of designers. There is, however, another alternative, namely an ultimate designer whose body is not composed of complex systems of insentient subunits such as molecules, atoms and subatomic particles, and whose body therefore does not require a designer. Evidence for the existence of such a body is presented below, along with a specific technique to contact the designer. Atheists often challenge theists with the question Who created God? If God is not composed of insentient subunits, then this question really means Where did God come from? This question is similar to the theists challenge to the atheists What gave rise to the initial singularity and the forces that caused it to explode as the Big Bang? Since both of these challenges deal with issues that are far beyond our present understanding of the laws of physics, there is at present no way to resolve them. But the question After the Big Bang, is there a path to self-replicating molecules capable of starting evolution? is amenable to investigation and has in fact been investigated in detail for the last fifty years at the worlds best universities.