James Tour (CC0)
Origin of life is up there with why the space aliens haven’t landed and many people are getting tired of that.
It is time for a temporary time out. Why not admit what we cannot yet explain: the mass transfer of starting materials to the molecules needed for life; the origin of life’s code; the combinatorial complexities present in any living system; and the precise non-regular assembly of cellular components?
It would be helpful if leading researchers, among them very sophisticated synthetic chemists, were to step back, pause, and join forces. If the origins of life remain a mystery, two goals are within reach: an agreement about the rational standards by which OOL research should be judged, and a candid acknowledgment of the problems that remain to be overcome. A statement of this sort would be reassuring in its candor.
James Tour, “Time Out” at Inference Review
See also: The Science Fictions series at your fingertips – origin of life What we do and don’t know.
and
A world-famous chemist tells the truth: There’s No Scientist Alive Today Who Understands Macroevolution
Note:If you think you’ve heard of Inference Review, you might have heard of this story in passing:
Inference Review did NOT set out to make a fool of Adam Becker
Also: At Inference review: Language is so much more than a system of signals
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