| Creation Truth Outreach, Inc. Pamphlet |
| © 2007 Creation Truth Outreach, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This pamphlet may be freely copied provided it is copied in its entirety, its contents are not altered in any manner, and additional or tighter copyright restrictions than these are not imposed on it. Revised May 5, 2008 |
| Chapter 3. Sixteen Fatal Roadblocks against a Purely Natural Formation of Life. Fatal Roadblock Number 8. Uncontrolled Energy Destroys Existing Order. A cell controls application of energy precisely. It has and uses an extremely elaborate mechanism in order to do this. By contrast, origin-of-life processes have only uncontrolled energy sources available. Yet, uncontrolled energy sources tend to destroy existing order, not add to it. I once did an experiment. I used firecrackers to turn the pages of a book. It takes energy to turn the pages of a book, just as it takes energy to join together molecules in an origin-of-life experiment. Now, a firecracker is an uncontrolled energy source. I was indeed able to turn the pages of a book with a firecracker. However, I also blew part of the page out of the book in the process. I would not have been able to turn very many pages of the book in this manner until it would have been completely destroyed. Likewise, uncontrolled energy sources can easily destroy developing enzymes in a pre-life setting. For instance, suppose that a small chain of amino acids has managed somehow to form. Another amino acid is oriented correctly and heading towards the end of the chain. If it does not have enough energy, it will not join to the chain but will bounce off it. If it has the right amount of energy, within fairly narrow limits, it has the possibility of connecting to the chain. However, if it has significantly more energy than is needed, it will be like the firecracker turning the page of the book. Just as the excess energy of the exploding firecracker damaged the book, the chain can easily be damaged by the excess energy of the amino acid colliding with it. It is far easier to rip apart a complex molecule using uncontrolled energy sources than it is to add to its complexity in a systematic, orderly manner. This is the underlying problem why the two earlier experiments we looked at could not even get 4 amino acids to join together and stay joined together. I once tried another experiment. I wanted to see if I could make some amino acids using a mixture of vinegar and ammonia and exposing it to an ultra-violet light source. I completely blackened the sides of a glass jar holding the mixture, except for a narrow slit in order to allow the UV light to enter the jar. I let the UV light source run for three weeks and had absolutely nothing to show for it. I was not surprised, though, because there was a fair amount of reflection within the jar itself, and apparently the reflected UV was sufficient to destroy any amino acids or other compounds that may have formed from that part of the solution directly in the UV light. Just as Miller needed to build a trap into his apparatus in order to collect his amino acids before they were destroyed or became tar, I needed some way to remove any amino acids than might have formed in my setup. I did not have the time to play with the equipment and try various options. Perhaps I should have also added some hydrogen; its presence seems to help experiments like this. However, then I would have been playing research scientist or design engineer. I would have inadvertently acknowledged how difficult it is for good results to happen spontaneously, without outside interference. The experiments showed me just how difficult it is to actually get an experiment like this to work properly. In reality, in a pre-life setting for an origin-of-life process, there would be no scientist around to control how the energy is applied to the solution or how product gets removed from it (unless one acknowledges the existence and workings of some kind of Creator God.) It seems that those who talk as though it would be a trivial matter for life to form spontaneously in a natural setting without any kind of intelligent interference are deluding themselves. |