Clay's matchmaking could have sparked life

New Scientist ^ | 10/23/03 | Science

[Mark Felton]

The Mr. Bill Theory of Evolution....(made out of clay)

[KantianBurke]

[Sir Gawain]

[KarlInOhio]

The Mr. Bill Theory of Evolution....(made out of clay)

The Gumby creationists want to have a word with you.

[ErnBatavia]

Yet more genes gone astray...

[Mark Felton]

From grudge-match.com:

"Darkness has fallen over Clay Land (tm). Not since Santa backed over Rudolph has there been such great misery in this normally overly-happy place. For the horrible has occurred. Sluggo and the Blockheads have joined forces.

Sinister laughter can be heard from a dark house on the edges of Clay Land. Inside, a crowd is gathered in the basement. Pokey can be seen in the corner, strapped to a chair and gagged. Sluggo is looking into a large shoebox in the center of the room, an evil Grinch-like grin from ear-to-ear. He calls the Blockheads over and says that it's time to begin. They peer into the box...

In the middle of the box is Gumby, one wrist lashed to the wrist of his competitor, Mr. Bill. At one end of the box, imbedded in the cardboard, is a razorblade. At the other end, a Zippo (tm) lighter, specially designed so that either of the contestants can use it. Sluggo gives the signal to begin. Only one clay figure may emerge from the box alive. If it is Gumby, he and Pokey may go free; if it is Mr. Bill, Pokey is killed and Mr. Bill gets to drive off with Malibu Stacey (tm).

Is Mr. Bill shredded or Gumby melted? "

For the rest of the story: click here

[RobbyS]

So take A, add B and introduce a catalyst of sort. It is the "adding that is problematic because it implies an adder. Same message as Genesis, what?

[Alter Kaker]

Fascinating.

[Dementon]

ping

[metesky]

He took a hundred pounds of clay
And they He said "Hey, listen"
"I'm gonna fix this-a world today"
"Because I know what's missin' "
Then He rolled his big sleeves up
And a brand-new world began
He created a woman and-a lots of lovin' for a man
Whoa-oh-oh, yes he did

Gene McDaniel - 1961

[microgood]

Darn, and I thought we came from a Carbon Meteorite. I wonder what would happen if the Meteorite hit some of this clay: maybe Barbra Streisand.

[old patriot]

I wonder what would happen if the Meteorite hit some of this clay: maybe Barbra Streisand. Or maybe Liza Whinnelli, the Clintoons, or at least the DNC.

Old Patriot

[PatrickHenry]

Thanks for the ping, but I'm sorta on strike. At least for a while.

[Mark Felton]

There is still the "a-miracle-occurs-here" part about the requirement for "spontaneous" dividing.

"So now his group is searching for different mixtures of membrane-forming molecules that might divide spontaneously when they reach a certain size."

I expect it will be as mysterious as knowing the exact time when an atom "spontaneously" decides to emit a photon.

[Roughneck]

The study of montmorillonite clay, by Martin Hanczyc, Shelly Fujikawa and Jack Szostak at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, revealed it can sharply accelerate the formation of membranous fluid-filled sacs.


His interpretation is all wrong though. GOD did form Adam out of clay! AFter he created the world and everything else of course!

The clay theory does not back up evolution - but it does back up creation!

[Mark Felton]

God is.

[RobbyS]

There is also the element of human intervention, both in this case and in the case of the "observation" of sub-atomic events. The oly real proof will be if some future " Enterprise." or at least a probe discovers the independent formation of life on some far planet.

[Raymond Hendrix]

The Blind Atheist

[Looking for Diogenes]

I don't remember now who did the research, but I do remember reading almost 20 years ago about a similar finding. The resarcher postulated that the crystallines structures in clay could act as a sort of 'scaffolding' to keep the organic chemicals together. It makes a lot more sense then the old 'primordial soup' model.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

This is all very interesting. Simple organic chemicals mixed together on clay substrata giving rise to reproducing (??) units (protocells???)

Under what conditions on the primative Earth did these reactions occur? What was the distribution of clay on that primative Earth? Was the atmosphere reducing? Was it oxidizing?. Or what is most probable; was it methane? Will that reaction go in a methane environment?? I have no idea. I suspect that the authors don't either.