A mathematician who uses statistical methods to model the fine tuning of molecular machines and systems in cells reflects…
Ola Hössjer: It turns out that [only] a very small fraction of amino acids sequences give us a functioning protein. That is the first definition of fine tuning. It’s complex. It is unlikely to happen by chance, to get a functioning protein. The second part: We should have an independent specification. In this case, the specification is that the protein works. For that reason, a protein is an example of a fine tuned structure in biology.
Then we could get up to the next hierarchical level and look at complexes of proteins, like molecular machines. The ribosome that manufactures proteins in the cell is itself a molecular machine that consists of many proteins that have to be arranged in a certain structure in order to work.
Another example is mitochondria in the cell plasma. These are the power stations of the cell that generate ATP. This is also an example of a molecular machine where all parts have to be structured in a certain way. One could say — we talked about this during the first episode — a specific case or a special case of fine tuning are irreducibly complex systems: It consists of many small parts, and all parts must function in order for the whole system to work.
Robert J. Marks: So if you remove one of the parts in the process you’re talking about, the whole thing breaks down. Let me give you a guess as an example, on the macroscopic level. Our lungs, for example, have a bunch of individual cells, and one of these cells has no idea what the other cells are doing but they all work together to allow us to breathe and put oxygen in our blood and other things. Would that be a big example of what you’re talking about?
Ola Hössjer: Yes. And another, you could view the whole cell as a cellular city. It has a network of roads, or factories and power stations.
Robert J. Marks: These are things which display irreducible complexity. You take away one piece, the whole thing falls apart. News, “Life is so wonderfully finely tuned that it’s frightening” at Mind Matters News
Takehome:
Every single cell is like a city that cannot function without a complex network of services that must all work together to maintain life.
You may also wish to read:
Ours is a finely tuned — and No Free Lunch — universe. Mathematician Ola Hössjer and biostatistician Daniel Andrés Díaz-Pachón explain to Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks why nature works so seamlessly. A “life-permitting interval” makes it all possible — but is that really an accident?
and
Fine-tuning? How Bayesian statistics could help break a deadlock Bayesian statistics are used, for example, in spam filter technology, identifying probable spam by examining vast masses of previous messages. The frequentist approach assesses the probability of future events but the Bayesian approach assesses the probability of events that have already occurred.
It would be useful to have a list of all the fine tuning example in a a list like an archive for easy accessibility.
Maybe one already exists.
Michael Denton keeps adding to the list for biological fine-tuning. He points out the factors on earth that have to be in place for life to exist – so that the environment is adaptive. It’s a huge list. Even just thinking about one element: water. That substance has so many necessary features built in that are necessary for life – so the planet has to be fine-tuned to contain the right amounts of water at the right temperatures, easily accessible.
I still think the idea of sexual reproduction evolving is a very simple and practical objection that has no answer as well.
A few related notes,
As to proteins,
in the following 2015 paper entitled, “Quantum criticality in a wide range of important biomolecules” it was found that “Most of the molecules taking part actively in biochemical processes are tuned exactly to the transition point and are critical conductors,” and the researchers further commented that “finding even one (biomolecule) that is in the quantum critical state by accident is mind-bogglingly small and, to all intents and purposes, impossible.,, of the order of 10^-50 of possible small biomolecules and even less for proteins,”,,,
And this follow up 2018 article stated that “There is no obvious evolutionary reason why a protein should evolve toward a quantum-critical state, and there is no chance at all that the state could occur randomly.,,,”
Moreover, (to the surprise of researchers operating under Darwinian presuppositions), proteins are found to be “analogous to the way wine glasses tremble”,,, “If you tap on a bell, it rings for some time, and with a sound that is specific to the bell. This is how the proteins behave,”,,, “Many scientists have previously thought a protein is more like a wet sponge than a bell: If you tap on a wet sponge, you don’t get any sustained sound.”
Moreover, not only are proteins ‘finely-tuned’ to receive photons, proteins, (and DNA), are also found to emit specific frequencies of ‘bio-photon emissions’
As to ribosomes,
As well, (as if that was not astonishing enough), the Ribosomes of the cell are also found to be very similar to a CPU in an electronic computer:
Moreover, the construction of protein making machines, (ribosomes), in eukaryotic cells is an extremely complex process that requires more than 200 helper proteins to get the job done.
Question, how in blue blazes did the first ribosome ever get get constructed if there were no ribosomes around to construct the scores of ‘helper proteins’ needed to construct the first ribosome?
As George Church of Harvard himself asked of the ribosome, “how did that thing come to be?”
And as Robert Shapiro stated, “I can only suggest that a ribosome forming spontaneously has about the same probability as an eye forming spontaneously”
As to mitochondria, i.e. ATP production
Of further note,
For Darwinists to adamantly and stubbornly claim, in the face of all contrary evidence, that this unparalleled level of optimal ‘fine-tuning’ came about by mindless processes is to insult the intelligence of every human being on the face of earth.
If Evolutionary Biologists had any integrity whatsoever, they would never, ever, admit to anyone that they made a living as Evolutionary Biologists. Garbage Truck driver is, by a long shot, a far more noble occupation than Evolutionary biologist is. (My apologies to any Garbage Truck drivers that I may have insulted by comparing you to Evolutionary Biologists).
BA77
Or else they would be calling for a significant reform of that field of study.
Looking for Bob O’H to comment. And Seversky also.
Don’t forget about “quantum criticality”, where certain proteins have a characteristic that only 1 in 10^50 random molecules would have.