Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: orionblamblam

Calculations of Bradley and Thaxton for random production of a single protein.

Walter L. Bradley and Charles B. Thaxton calculated the probability of a random formation of amino acids into a protein to be 4.9 x 10-191. They began with the assumption that the probability of starting with an L-amino acid was .5, and the probability of starting with an L-amino acid was .5, and the probability of two L-amino acids joining with a peptide bond was also .5. They assumed that the twenty necessary amino acids existed in equal concentration in the prebiotic soup so that the probability of the right amino acid in the required position was .05.
Bradley and Thaxton were also generous towards the proponents of random processes when they also assumed that all of the chemical reactions would be with amino acids, ignoring the high probability of reactions with non-amino acid chemicals. They calculated the probability of the necessary placement of one amino acid to be .5 x .5 x .05 or .125. This, of coarse, meant that the probability of assembling N such amino acids would be .0125 x .0125 for N terms. Assuming a protein with 100 amino acids (.0125 x .0125 for 100 terms ), the mathematically impossible probability would be 4.9 x 10-191.
Bradley and Thaxton noted their agreement with Hubert P. Yockey and concluded that even assuming that all the carbon on earth existed in the form of amino acids and reacted at the greatest possible rate of 1012/s for one billion years (when actually only 130 million years were available), the mathematically impossible probability for the formation of one functional protein would be 10-65.

Walter L. Bradley and Charles B. Thaxton, “Information and the Origin of Life” in The Creation Hypothesis, ed. J. P. Moreland (Downers Grove, Il : InterVarsity Press, 1994), p. 190


25 posted on 11/12/2004 6:32:57 AM PST by FreedomProtector
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies ]


To: FreedomProtector

Congratulations! You agree with these guys:
http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/contemporary/0029.htm


49 posted on 11/12/2004 7:20:37 AM PST by orionblamblam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies ]

To: FreedomProtector

The probability of rolling a 6 on a die is 1/6 but doesn't preclude the fact that you may get a 6 on ONE roll!

OTOH, rolling a weighted die ...


80 posted on 11/12/2004 8:10:17 AM PST by WildTurkey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies ]

To: FreedomProtector

Actually, your entire post has NOTHING to do with evolutionary theory.


85 posted on 11/12/2004 8:18:52 AM PST by WildTurkey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies ]

To: FreedomProtector

What does formation of amino acids into a protein have to do with evolution?


138 posted on 11/12/2004 12:11:18 PM PST by Dimensio (Join the Monthly Internet Flash Mob: http://www.aa419.org)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson