Some respected scientists have said that even a “simple” cell is far too complex to have arisen by chance on earth.
A cell membrane is extremely complex, made up of sugar, protein, and fatty molecules. It is essential for a
living cell. But there is no plausible explanation how even the
fats in the complex membrane could have originated by themselves (p.145, The Origin of Life, Bernal)!
To find the final overall odds for a chain of events leading up to a single result you must
multiply the odds of each event. For instance, if a person reaches into a hat that has one white marble and two black ones, there is one chance in three that he will draw the white one. However, if he is presented with two hats each containing one white marble and two black ones the odds multiply not add. Even though there are only 6 marbles altogether, the two events total up to odds of 1 out of 9 (not 1 out of 6). 1/3 x 1/3 = 1/9.
If there had been 3 marbles (1 white and 2 black) in each of three hats the odds would be 1 out of 27 (1/27) that she would draw the three white marbles (1/3 x 1/3 x 1/3 = 1/27), and so on.
So by multiplying the odds of the different events (considering
only the chances of getting the right number and order of left-handed amino acids together as would be found in the simplest theoretically possible self-reproducing organism)
we find the odds to be one out of 10 to the 79,360th power (1 followed by 79,360 zeros).
Remember, these are only the odds for the
somehow already-formed amino acids
accidentally coming together in the right kinds and right order. It ignores the odds of the universe accidentally forming in the first place, a planet of just the right type with just the right composition being found in exactly the right position relative to the right type of star, and all the other myriad "accidents" leading up to this point and all the myriad "accidents" after it (such as the right mixture of elements actually coming to life and functioning and reproducing, etc.)
Yes, these are just the odds for the already-made ingredients getting together properly (like someone putting all the already man-made parts of his wrist watch into a sack and shaking them together into a whole watch). And there's only one chance out of a number so huge (1 followed by 79,360 zeros) that it would take 20 pages just to write its zeros!
Current observations put the universe's age at 13.7 billion years old and that the earth is 4.5 billion years old. The earliest evidence for life on earth is dated to 3.8 billion years ago. That leaves 700 million years - best case scenario - for life to appear on its own, not eternity. But even IF life had an eternity to appear on it's own the odds still are so great (see above) that the spontaneous production of life will never happen. Dr. Emil Borel, an authority on probabilities, says that if there is less chance for something to happen than 1 in 10 to the 50th power (1 followed by 50 zeros), then it will NEVER happen, no matter how much time is allowed.
Science, with even the best labs and equipment cannot replicate on purpose what they claim happened by shear accident. But even
IF scientists were able to someday create life from inanimate matter, this
still wouldn't prove that living organisms arose from inanimate matter on their own on our planet long ago. On the contrary, if they ever did accomplish this, 100% of their work would represent
design - not extraordinary coincidence.
Recommended Related Articles:
Is Any Form of Life Really Simple? (Watchtower Online Library)
Cells (Watchtower Online Library)
Your Body’s Microscopic “Trucks” (Watchtower Online Library)
Your Marvelous Red Blood Cells (Watchtower Online Library)
How Did the Universe and Life Originate? (g02 6/8 pp. 4-7; Watchtower Online Library)
Why Some Scientists Believe in God (g04 6/22 pp. 5-8; Watchtower Online Library)
How Likely is it For a Basic DNA Molecule to Form Spontaneously? (Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)
Earth's Perpetual 'Habitable Zone' - Accident or "Remarkable Fine-Tuning"? (Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)
What Evidence is There That God Exists? (Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)
The Universe — Did It Come About by Chance or by Design? (Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)
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