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To: exDemMom
DNA is an organic molecule. A system containing the elements that make up organic molecules (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen), a few other elements, and energy, spontaneously produces a large variety of organic molecules according to physical law. DNA consists of four letters, A, T, C, G. Those four letters are transcribed into RNA through physical enzymatic processes. The letters in RNA are A, U, C, G. Amino acids of proteins are coded by three letter words. AUG, for example, codes for methionine. The RNA letter string feeds through a ribosome, which attaches amino acids together in the order that their corresponding words appear in the RNA. The process is completely mechanical and explainable.

Please explain how a solute containing Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and hydrogen will spontaneously large quantities of organic molecules according to physical laws. Since all of science of cosmogony indisputably proves the universe began, and came to be from nothing, please tell us, in accordance to physical laws how hyrogen, oxygen, and carbon came to be. I would also ask if you would clarify for us if the early earth contained O2. If O2 is produced for the most part by photosynthesis how did O2 come to develope 20% of the earths atmosphere. Also regarding the early earth, please explain how O2 molecules could evade the profound effects of ultraviolet radiation on those O2 molecules.

So many questions. Are you really meaning to say that DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) consists of 4 letters.. A,T,C, and G. Or did you mean those letters represent nucleotides. And if so, please tell us how chemical nucleotides convey this 'tangible information'. Would it be more accurate to express this 'tangible information' as the physical expression of information contained in the genetic code. If you agree with that expression, then how did chemicals 'tell' messenger RNA to move to ribosomes and produce a protein. Information -> Nucleic acid -> mRNA ->ribosome ->expression of information. Now, what is the physical makeup of information.

169 posted on 05/02/2012 3:36:42 PM PDT by Texas Songwriter (Ia)
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To: Texas Songwriter
Please explain how a solute containing Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and hydrogen will spontaneously large quantities of organic molecules according to physical laws. Since all of science of cosmogony indisputably proves the universe began, and came to be from nothing, please tell us, in accordance to physical laws how hyrogen, oxygen, and carbon came to be. I would also ask if you would clarify for us if the early earth contained O2. If O2 is produced for the most part by photosynthesis how did O2 come to develope 20% of the earths atmosphere. Also regarding the early earth, please explain how O2 molecules could evade the profound effects of ultraviolet radiation on those O2 molecules.

This would be a lot easier to answer if you had some knowledge of chemistry.

Chemicals like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, etc., react spontaneously to form molecules because it is their nature to do so, just like it is the nature of magnets to seek physical contact when placed a short distance from each other. Each carbon atom can form covalent bonds with up to four other atoms. Each nitrogen atom can form up to three bonds with other atoms. Each oxygen can form up to two bonds, and hydrogen only forms one bond. As long as energy is present in the system (in other words, the mixture is warm enough), those bonds will form--it is unavoidable. And since they form randomly, a variety of organic molecules results.

As for how the oxygen and carbon came to be, they were produced from the fusion/other nuclear processes of hydrogen atoms inside stars. As to where the hydrogen came from--well, I believe that is a topic of discussion among physicists, who will tell you that everything came to be in the big bang, but don't really have details (or, at least, an explanation of how all this matter came into existence from nothing during the big bang). I can't answer that, and I don't spend time worrying about it.

Next, the early earth did NOT contain free O2 and early organisms did not respire the way all eukaryotes and many prokaryotes do now. All of the O2 currently in the atmosphere is there because of biological activity.

So many questions. Are you really meaning to say that DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) consists of 4 letters.. A,T,C, and G. Or did you mean those letters represent nucleotides. And if so, please tell us how chemical nucleotides convey this 'tangible information'. Would it be more accurate to express this 'tangible information' as the physical expression of information contained in the genetic code. If you agree with that expression, then how did chemicals 'tell' messenger RNA to move to ribosomes and produce a protein. Information -> Nucleic acid -> mRNA ->ribosome ->expression of information. Now, what is the physical makeup of information.

Of course, the letters represent nucleotides. Within the scope of this discussion, and, indeed, within the scope of many scientific discussions, the pertinent information about those nucleotides is conveyed by referring to them as letters.

Now, when I speak of those chemical molecules carrying tangible information, I am being absolutely literal. Every atom, every molecule formed from atoms, has a unique shape. Carbon, for instance, is a tetrahedron. Molecules have more complex shapes than atoms. When a messenger RNA molecule is threaded through a ribosome, a single word (or "codon" in scientific speech) is placed in a specific position on the ribosome. A transfer RNA with an amino acid attached sees that word. If its word ("anticodon") is the exact opposite of the word at that position on the message on the ribosome, it fits that word just like a key fits a lock. The entire process is very physical. Here is a video that shows the process of protein synthesis on a ribosome. Although it's only representing the nucleotides as letters, the actual nucleotides do have specific shapes that only attach to other nucleotides with complementary shapes. A can only attach to U, and C only to G.

193 posted on 05/06/2012 7:26:29 AM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: Texas Songwriter
Would it be more accurate to express this 'tangible information' as the physical expression of information contained in the genetic code.

No. The DNA or RNA sequence is the information; they don't "contain" it.
194 posted on 05/06/2012 7:38:39 AM PDT by aruanan
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