Chemical reactions occur naturally in the Universe and when conditions are right a reaction can fit the definition of what scientists consider life. There is a blurry line between chemistry and biology, and you and I are actually a fantastically complex chemical reaction.
In the eighth grade my science teacher taught us the definition of life, which includes eating, growth, reproduction, and a few other things. But interacting chemicals do all these things on a more primitive level. Defining life is arbitrary.
For the longest time scientists were stymied by how DNA and RNA could occur naturally in the Universe. But research shows that nucleic acids, amino acids, and lipids can do the trick through simple reactions. Based on various studies it appears that the building blocks of life developed in space and were carried to Earth on meteorites. One study suggests that cyanide and carbon dioxide both played a role in creating enzymes, which provided food for early bacteria.
Given the right combination of chemicals and various conditions, molecules organize into cells and self-replicate. The simple reactions grow in complexity and eventually the modern cell is formed. Cells multiply and join together to create increasingly complex lifeforms that are more efficient at eating and self-defense. Fast forward a few billion years and you have the human being. The name of the game is to stay alive until reproducing, and in more complex species the parent must live long enough to get its young to reproduction age. There must also be an evolutionary role for old people like me. Perhaps in the days of early clans and villages we old folks provided wisdom about agriculture and warfare, which gave one group an edge over the groups that killed their elderly members.
No End
The jump between primordial goop and modern humans is a continuum. Perhaps electricity and spontaneous development played a role, and spontaneity comes natural in the Universe. There really wasn't a need for some Israelite god to create all this stuff because the chemicals already existed in the Universe, thanks to red giants and supernovas, which turned hydrogen into more complex elements, plus the help of gravity and electricity.
So, just as there is no leap from the inorganic to the organic, we as humans only die by a textbook definition, but we really live on for billions of years. Our cells may putter out after 70 or 80 years, but the chemical reactions continue. Our bodies are made up of 37.2 trillion cells making us one of the more complex critters in the Universe, and when they wear out they decompose and become food for other lifeforms. Eventually, part of you may end as a worm, which is eaten by a bird, which is shot and eaten by a hunter. So, cheer up — life is an abstract concept invented by scientists. You never really die.
Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins appear to have dealt religion its most mortal blows and some Christians hate these guys more than Anton LaVey, founder of the Satanic Church. But science has come a long way since Dawkins wrote The God Delusion in 2006, and some discoveries have either reinforced Dawkin's positions or have shown that they aren't necessary. Evidence points more and more to the fact that life occurs naturally in the Universe and I believe it will be very soon before Dr. Jack Szostak and other famous researchers create life in a laboratory using the same building blocks that create you and me.
Why Bring This Up?
It's time for us to throw our nationalities, religions, ethnicity, and political persuasions out the window and look at ourselves as a species. If necessary we could create the International Council of the Human Species. We need to get together as a group and ask ourselves two questions:
- Do we want to save planet Earth?
- Do we want to save ourselves?
These questions may seem like no-brainers, but, believe me, people will split hairs and debate these questions all day. We will have to hear all about supernatural deities and technology saving everything, when, in reality, that will never happen. People will argue endlessly about whether or not we are even in danger.
The Future
Eventually our DNA will wear out, the sun will supernova, and/or the Earth's atmosphere will change too much to support us. It amazes me when people argue about climate change with comments ranging from "it's bullshit" to "it's a natural warming trend." The fact is that for 500 years we've been putting a ton of carbon into the sky, which is accumulating in the upper atmosphere, and creating a greenhouse effect, and trapping heat in. Eventually, all the snow will melt and there will be no more skiing. Sea levels will rise, submerge land, and there will be even less room for our exploding population. The little parasites and bacteria love the warmer temperatures and our are fiercest competitors, and those little bastards that we can't even see will outcompete us for resources. If we can even grow crops at all the parasites will eat them faster than we can kill them.
I'm tired of people saying "don't be negative," as this is a denial technique. I'm not going to blog about fashion or cooking when our world is collapsing. I am going to keep writing and saying what's on my heart and if I hurt anyone's feelings, well, golly, I am sorry.
So, getting back to the point, we as humans don't compete well in the natural world but we evolved a big brain so that we could save ourselves from predators by using our wits. If a tiger jumps in front of our jungle path we know how to respond, but we seem incapable of responding to more gradual threats like global warming. Half the people in the U.S. appear to have hardwired brains and are stuck in a rigid belief system where their religious and political system is firm and unchangeable. This type of brain structure may have worked well in earlier hierarchal feudal societies, but in today's time this type of static, delusional thinking will only speed our doom.
Maybe we will find a way out of the current climate crises and all the other social and environmental challenges that face us. Or maybe it's time for our species to provide the organic matter for some other species. At this point I'm not sure.
Sources:
Researchers May Have Solved Origin-of-Life Conundrem, by Robert F. Service
The Origin of Life - Abiogenesis, Dr. Jack Szostak, Harvard Medical School
Compounds Discovered in Meteorites May Hold Clues to the Origin of Life, by Bill Steigerwald and Nancy Jones
Human Civilization Will Crumble by 2050 If We Don't Stop Cimate Change Now Brandon Specktor
Photo: Ian Dooley
