The slide show below is a work in progress.  It has been given a number of times, the more significant ones are indicated in the notes section.

 

Eight Phenomena  Evolution is not the Enemy-CGA_1210xx_slides & notes_4.pptx

 

Notes to the slides-use these to follow along with the slides.

 

Slide 1

Present the 12 fundamental principles of Christianity-don’t take too much time to discuss them, but point out that if we agree on these 12, these 12 seal our current and eternal relationship to the loving Lord God, Creator of the universe!  All else pales in comparison.  You don’t have to agree with me on How God created the universe, but be aware, there is no conflict between faith and science.

 

Slide 2

Black slide

 

Slides3-5

Original questions and questions spawned by the original questions if you like to ponder

 

Slide 6

There is a sea change in the sciences.  It began in the late 70s among physicists.  It is trickling down through chemists to biologists where it is starting to be felt now.  Examples of this sea change, include serious investigations into the question, "What is role of faith in making us human?" [Hall of Human Origins, and its Broader Social Impacts Committee that is investigating that and AAAS’ Faith and Science Initiative]; leading atheists changing their mind, (Antony Flew, 2007, There is no a God), and 1700+ scientists from academia who believe the evidence that God created the universe is compelling.  This wave is an exciting one for Christians, and you need to be aware of it, so you can ride it to a new land!

 

Slide 7

 

Most of the scientific community now generally agrees: The universe had a beginning 13.7 billion years ago and it is fine-tuned for life.

Currently, there are about eight attempts to explain this fine-tuning.  (Lee Smolin, 1997, The Life of the Cosmos, and Paul Davies, 2008, The Goldilocks Enigma.)  Most of them can be grouped into three possibilities, all of which involve the concept of infinity, because only infinity can provide sufficient conditions for such an impossible situation to occur.

 

Slide 8

These explanations start with two possibilities, there are an infinity of universes or there is one.

 

Slide 9

These two possibilities lead to three further possibilities:

   Each universe in the infinity of universes is finite.

   The one universe is infinite, or

   the one universe is finite.

 

Slide 10

In each case, we are in the one, the part, or obviously, the one, which . . .

 

Slide 11

Produced us, uniquely or in the latter cases, could also have produced us as one of several forms of intelligence or we are the one form of intelligence but we (or "hominids" very like us) have also evolved elsewhere in the universe.

Why would these latter two cases even be likely considering the fact that so far we are the only ones we know of?  Before we answer that, let’s step back and look at where we are relative to the original questions-how did we get here?

 

Slide 12

If we look at the conditions that produced us, as we proceed from left to right, the argument that luck is the reason becomes less compelling.

 

Slide 13

This is where the third infinity comes in:  We are created by an infinitely wise mind, who fine-tuned the universe to produce life, intelligence and possibly human kind as the end product of His creation.

While the argument that we were created becomes more compelling.  Notice that in neither the explanation calling on luck or the one calling on a Creator, does the other completely disappear.  Now, back to the other issue, why would we even consider the two rightmost possibilities? . . .

 

Slide 14

Title page or why we would even consider the two rightmost possibilities.

 

Slide 15

I will break the presentation into these four parts.

 

Slide 16

The algorithm can be expressed as a thesis in which fundamental constants, forces, and masses established at the Big Bang produce eight phenomena that work to support the process of evolution at the cosmological, chemical, and biological levels such that we or something very similar to ourselves will emerge.  This thesis will be illustrated with specific examples.

 

Slide 17

The algorithm starts with the fundamental constants, forces, and masses listed here, and others that were established at the instant of the Big Bang.  It is now clear that these had to be precisely tuned for life to emerge and this concept is referred to as the “anthropic principle,” in its broadest, extended sense, which I am sure most of you know.   I will discuss the CC shortly.  The four forces govern reactions between visible matter in the universe and the three masses are the dominant players in this matter. (Note, all this excludes dark matter and dark energy, a fifth form of mass and a fifth force, respectively, which we are just beginning to understand-suffice it to say, they, too, appear to follow the algorithm and phenomena.)

 

Slide 18

The phenomena are consequences of the necessary accuracy and precision required of these numerous fundamental constants, forces, and masses for a universe (this universe in particular) to support the evolution of not only life, but intelligent life and maybe even humanoid life.  The phenomena are (I will give you a moment to read them-then I will try to make sense of them for you).

 

Slide 19

It is important to clarify these eight phenomena.  To do this as succinctly as possible, letters, numbers and symbols will be used.  They should be understood to be general representations of actual conditions that have relationships to one another somewhat in the same ways letters of our alphabet or numbers in a series are related to one another.  We all understand “A” comes before “B”, there is a difference between “B” and “b’”, but these two are also more alike than “B” and “1” are alike, and so on:

 

Slide 20

It must be acknowledged that the phenomenon of intricate simplicity may be a result of mankind’s desire to simplify and categorize, but one can speculate why that desire is an aspect of intelligence….  In other words, the details are intricate, but there is always an elegant and simple way to represent the details.

 

Slide 21

I will briefly give examples of the thesis as it applies to the creation of the universe (the Big Bang) and then as it applies to four increasing levels of complexity: the atom, the molecule, the cell and the organism.  There are others that could have been presented and others yet to be identified.

 

Slide 22

One of the critical constants is the “cosmological constant.”  It is what lies behind the rate of expansion of the universe.  Without going into the details, one aspect of this is that if it were larger by 1 unit at the 100th decimal place, the universe would have expanded too fast and there would be little in it besides scattered hydrogen, helium and a few lithium atoms.  If it were smaller by 1 unit at the 50th decimal place, the universe would not expand fast enough to escape the force of gravity and it would fall back on itself in a “Big Crunch” before life could evolve.

 

Slide 23

Thus, the CC is one of the attributes that meet the requisite singularity for a universe that has just the right mix of elements and is around long enough for these elements to evolve into intelligent life, and in particular, us.  The CC must act at a precise peak and the conditions around this peak do serve as compelling detractors. 

 

Slide 24

At the level of the atom, carbon provides a good example of the phenomena.  Carbon forms the backbone of the myriad of chemical compounds essential to life.  The activation energies for the formation of carbon by fusion in first generation stars is a sharply peaked function:  Two He collide to form a ⁸Be, which has a very short half life. 

 

Slide 25

If another He impacts it before it decays back to two He’s, an unstable form of C will form.

 

Slide 26

This unstable carbon will give off a photon, loose sufficient energy, and fall into a stable carbon state.

 

Slide 27

If the resonance of this reaction were any lower, the reaction could reverse from the “stable” carbon and the universe would be without carbon or be without much carbon.

 

Slide 28

If the resonance of this reaction were any higher, the unstable carbon would not form, or if it did, it would quickly decay back into He and Be before it could give off the photon and the universe would be without carbon.

 

Slide 29

Carbon is the attribute which meets the requisite singularity for an element capable of making the myriad of compounds essential for life processes. It acts like an optimal solution  because the resulting four electrons in the outer orbit provide the geometric maximum number of bonds in 3-D space while they are close enough to the nucleus that they form them with sufficient strength that they become covalent bonds which allow catanation, the major reason carbon can form so many compounds. If the resonance of these reaction forming carbon in stars were not at a precise peak, carbon would not form in sufficient abundance. More specifically, if this resonance were either higher or lower, carbon would not form, thus its formation has compelling detractors around it.

 

Because of these properties, carbon has been produced in an ample sample.  The other elements with a close atomic number or four orbital electrons (Si) are also produced in an ample sample by similar mechanisms or mechanisms dependent upon the life-history of stars.  Once produced in sufficient abundance, C has unique properties that ensure it and not the other elements will exist as the structural backbone of the large number and variety of different compounds essential for life.  Thus it will be favored for this role with statistical certainty. Further, complex C compounds cannot form until C is formed, thus revealing an essential sequencing.

 

Slide 30

At the level of the molecule, water provides a good example of the phenomena.

Because of the anthropic principle, water has a particular abundance and structure and this structure causes it to relate in a particular way with itself and other compounds such that it contains or forms the four major chemical bonds essential to life: covalent, electrovalent, hydrogen & Van Der Waal’s forces.  Thus, of all possible compounds, only one, water, has the 50 or so unique properties necessary for it to act as the single most important compound to life.  These properties are the result of four interdependent aspects of the way water behaves.

The Polarity of Water

Water and the Hydrogen Bond

Water and Ionization

Water and Temperature

 

Slide 31

Without going into the details, the anthropic conditions and these resulting four properties ensure that water:

•         is possibly the most abundant di-elemental molecule in the universe.

•         is a great solvent and transporting agent for charged particles and polarized compounds.

•         has great heat storage capacity (specific heat) and gives off considerable energy when it freezes (heat of fusion) and requires considerable energy to make it boil (heat of vaporization) such that it works to stabilize ambient temperatures.

•         is highly incompressible so that it will produce turgor pressure.

•         has high cohesive forces so that it will have high surface tension and high adhesive forces so that it will provide capillary action.

•         has a configuration in the liquid and solid states that makes ice float on water thus permitting life to exist in the water beneath the ice.

 

Slide 32

Water’s unique properties enable it to fulfill an important requisite singularity  at the molecular level. The way its two atoms, hydrogen and oxygen, were formed and interact make it an optimal solution (pun noted but ignored). Since oxygen is formed in stars by the fusion of ⁴He with ¹²C, The resonance for the formation of oxygen must be precisely so, otherwise, its formation would use up all the carbon, thus like carbon, it’s formation occurs at a precise peak. The other simple liquids have properties that make them unsuitable for this requisite singularity or have them at temperatures that are unsuited for life, thus they act as compelling detractors around water.  H is by far the most abundant element in the universe since it was the first one to emerge from the Big Bang.  It made up the bulk of the first stars referred to earlier.  It is the tenth most abundant element in the earth’s crust.  Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe and the most abundant element in the earth’s crust. Thus hydrogen and oxygen are guaranteed to occur in an ample sample and the formation of water must occur and once it does, it is clearly the only simple compound with this suite of characteristics.  The form that life assumes must fit with these characteristics (narrowing options).  Water, once it is formed, must be gathered together on a protoplanet before life can evolve—essential sequencing and its molecular weight makes sure it will remain in the atmosphere of an Earth-sized planet.  Water’s ability to illustrate all of the four common chemical bonds demonstrates intricate simplicity.

 

Slide 33

At the level of the cell, the eukaryotic cell provides a good example of the phenomena.

Almost all eukaryotic cells have three fundamental inputs: nutrients, water, and oxygen (even plants follow this pathway at night); and four fundamental outputs: water, waste metabolites, carbon dioxide and heat.  The process of cellular respiration captures approximately 18 times the energy as similar processes in prokaryotic cells.

The implications this figure has for the problems that must be solved by the multicellular chemoheterotrophs that would evolve from it are clear.  Since most of the cells in a multicellular organism would be far removed from the surface where these elements and compounds were readily available (especially in the Precambrian oceans, where this process occurred), this development meant that ultimately, the complex organisms that evolved from this primitive chemotroph cell had to have: 1) a “digestive system” to get water and the nutrients into the body and break the latter down to small enough molecules to move them about.  2) A “respiratory system” to get the oxygen into the body (and simultaneously get the carbon dioxide out).  3) a “urinary system” to eliminate the excess water and metabolic wastes.  And 4) a “circulatory system” to move the water, small nutrient molecules and oxygen from where they entered the body to where they were needed and to move the carbon dioxide, metabolic wastes and waste heat from where they were produced in the body to where they could be eliminated from the body.  

Finally, as the process increased in complexity with more advanced multicellular organisms, there would have to be a “nervous system” and an “endocrine system” to orchestrate all the above.

 

Slide 34

Cellular metabolism demonstrates a requisite condition at the level of the cell.  The evolution of this set of reactions was necessary to produce the amount of ATP needed for the higher energy demands of larger cells. It certainly appears to be an optimal solution because it is found in almost all eukaryotic cells today in spite of other metabolic pathways being available through anaerobic and other metabolic schemes. The nature of the precise peak here is less clear, perhaps some in the audience may have an idea. This increased efficiency is explained by the endosymbiotic theory proposed by Lynn Marguilis and subsequently supported by several lines of evidence.  It is proposed that other pathways, if they existed, would either be too wasteful or produce too little energy.  If so, they would act as compelling detractors.  In any event, the evolution of this heterochemotroph cell narrowed the options for the future evolution of complexity. Thus this step had to evolve before multicellular life with complex structures could evolve—essential sequencing.  Finally this figure illustrates intricate simplicity by showing that the tens of thousands of metabolic steps in a cell can be summarized in a simplified diagram.

 

Slide 35

At the level of the organism, the relationship between the senses and the brain provides a good example of the phenomena.

We attribute special importance to the brain and therefore assume that its location is what drives much of our design, but let’s look at this more closely.

Assuming an organism moves through the water column, the fluid dynamics of water (specifically its Reynolds number, which in turn is ultimately a result of the conditions in the anthropic principle) favors an organism with a fusiform body.  This confers a long axis to the body with a preferred direction of movement in the direction of this axis. This will establish a “front” of the animal.

 

Slide 36

As the animal moves through the environment, the most useful information to survival will be encountered at the front.  It is more important to know what’s ahead (coming up) than what’s left behind.

 

Slide 37

Information important to survival will be coming through three major sources:

  photons, which will be intercepted by photoreceptors (sight)

  chemicals, which will be intercepted by chemoreceptors (smell and taste), and

  pressure-forces, which will be intercepted by mechanoreceptors (vibration and pressure)

The only other type of receptor is temperature (kinetic energy), which is intercepted by thermoreceptors, but these are less likely to follow this pattern, so they are not included here.

Because the most useful information to survival is coming from the front, natural selection will favor the solution that has these receptors occurring in the front of the organism.

 

Slide 38

In order to ensure the center for receiving-processing-responding to the vital information coming from these receptors is able to do so as quickly as possible, it will be necessary for it to be as close to them as possible.  Hence the brain is in the front of the body, not because it is of paramount importance (even though it is), but because it makes the most sense from design considerations for it to be there.

 

Slide 39

The evolution of the head with the special senses is a requisite condition. Thus having the special senses at the front of the body, and the brain positioned close by is an optimal solution.  Conditions established at the instant of the Big Bang set up the properties of water, etc., that ensured this requisite condition would be found. The brain, being the central processing center for environmental information, is the logical candidate to become the center in which further processing of information can be selected for and thus, the center for the further evolution of intelligence.  It becomes necessary for essential sequencing.  Furthermore, once this plan occurs, it becomes difficult if not impossible for evolution to break free from it to place the brain elsewhere, thus narrowing the options of future vertebrate plans.

 

Slide 40

Although you think many of us here may not live to see this tested, before too long, we will have direct tests of this on Mars and even later on Jupiter’s Galilean moons and Saturn’s Titan and Enceladus.  By 2020 or so, we will  have space telescopes (the James Space Webb Telescope) powerful enough to see extrasolar, Earth-like planets and spectroscopically examine the composition of their atmospheres.

Ward, Peter D. and Donald Brownlee. 2003. Rare earth, why complex life is uncommon in the universe.

 

Slide 41

Carter,  Brandon, 1983, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., A 310, 347-363.

Watson, Andrew, 2008, Astrobiology, 8(1): 175-185.

 

Slide 42

Leslie, John, 1989, Universes.

Again, let me state, this is the third infinity alluded to earlier.  The universe was created by an infinite mind: the God of the Bible.

YOU DECIDE!

 

Slide 43

The  physicists, chemists, biologists, and engineers at Norwich University, Oxford Roundtable, and the American Scientific Affiliation with whom I have had useful discussions.  Any errors in these slides are, nonetheless, fully mine.  (...And I am eager to know what they are.)

 

An earlier version:

Evolution is not the Enemy_110313_slides only for mentiscopia.pptx

 

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