Book Review: Origins of Life

Author: Fazale Rana & Hugh Ross
Spiritual Bias: Christians
Origins Bias: Old Earth Creationists
Rating: Top Shelf
Level: Mildly Technical
Year: 2004

Comments: This book provides a survey of the current scientific work in the area of the origins of life. It is comprehensive, but not too technical for the average reader. All of the relevant topics are covered, including the search for life outside of earth, the primordial soup, extreme life, life's minimum complexity, and panspermia. Also, in addition to providing solid factual treatment of these topic areas, the authors analyze how well the biblical (in particular Reason to Believe's model) and naturalistic models of origins are doing with respect to scientific progress. The authors clearly demonstrate that the naturalistic model of origins is struggling. And this really should come to no surprise as even the most simple of life forms is incredibly complex. This complexity coupled with the scientific understanding that the universe had a finite beginning in time puts the naturalistic origin to life on thin ice.

In the end, this is a worthwhile book to read if you are interested in origins. It is concise, efficiently written, and will certain be on my top shelf for some time to come.


Sample Quote(s): "Chemist Robert Shapiro has convincingly demonstrated that while undirected chemical processes can produce homopolymers under carefully controlled pristine laboratory conditions, such processes cannot generate these types of molecules under early Earth's conditions. The chemical compounds found in the complex chemical mixture that researchers think existed on early Earth would interfere with homopolymer formation. Instead, polymers with highly heterogeneous backbone structures would be produced - molecular entities that cannot function as self-replicators. Shapiro has shown this interference to be the case specifically for proteins, RNA, and peptide nucleic acids." p.117

"A minimum genome size (for independent life) of 1,500 to 1,900 gene products comports with what the geochemical and fossil evidence reveals about the complexity of Earth's first life." p.162

"Panspermia thus represents the end of the line for naturalists within the origin-of-life research camp. Recognizing the intractable problems for a naturalistic explanation for life's origin on Earth, many researchers turned their attention to Mars, Europa, Titan, and other possible solar system sites." p.204