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These abiogenesis experiments are a little strange... they aim to show that something could have happened. Whether that is what actually happened is considered
by Gatsky 7y ago
These abiogenesis experiments are a little strange... they aim to show that something could have happened. Whether that is what actually happened is considered less relevant and in fact can probably never be determined. Does anyone really believe that it is impossible to get spontaneous nucleotide generation under certain conditions (the conditions also being speculative)?
The really interesting thing would be finding nucleotides or nitrogenous bases where there isn’t life, eg on Mars or an asteroid.
- ecoled_ame 7y agoMeteorites contain nitrogenous bases https://www.pnas.org/content/108/34/13995 https://www.pnas.org/content/108/34/13995
- Gatsky 7y agoFascinating thanks, sorry I should have searched it up.
- ChuckMcM 7y agoIt is the law of large numbers. It goes with the theory that if you buy 100 billion lottery tickets you asymptotically approach 100% chance of winning. In the case of abiogenesis, if you can show that the conditions for this effect were possible, and that those conditions could persist for millions of years, the probability that the "special" one occurs, approaches 100%. It doesn't explain everything, it is just a link in the chain of things that increases our understanding of our world.