js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag) (08/06/84)
Someone started this all off by 'calculating' the probability of a chance occurrence of an insulin molecule in a primordial type ocean. Why insulin? It would seem much more useful to find out how likely the simplest kind of life form would be. *dF*dEMaybe we could draw up a set of specs for an Amino Acid Motorscooter. Hopefully we could get some help from some people who know a lot more molecular biology than I do. (none) Currently, viruses seem to rank as the simplest, but they obviously wouldn't do for our motorscooter, since they aren't SELF replicating, acting instead as a hijacker who takes over a factory and demands that it make copies of itself (the hijacker). I don't know how an amoeba-like organism would work. Would an amoeba or it's close cousin be able to survive in a primordial ocean? (does it need more complex things to 'eat' than would be likely to be found there?) If it would be viable in such an environment, are there any accessories or options the average amoeba has which our motorscooter could do without? How about an algea-like organism? Is chlorophyll too complex? Are there simpler substitutes for chlorophyll? Once we've come up with some ideas for the simplest scooter, how could we figure out how improbable it's developement would be? Hopefully, it could be put together from parts already abounding in the primordial ocean, so that it would not be too unlikely. If it's still too unlikely, we could always assume divine intervention. (of course, then we'd have to come up with some theories explaining the developement of gods. :-) (Or, we could just let old Occam grow a beard.)) Jeff Sonntag "Who's using my razor now?" -- Occam