I brought this subject up on another thread and present it here in an expanded form.
In order for life to form there must be large oceans of water upon the planet. This is a necessity for chemical evolution. Once there were large oceans upon Earth with small stable molecules dissolved in them, like dissolved carbon dioxide, et al, the sunlight falling upon the molecules would energize them by exciting an electron to an upper orbital; thus making them able to form more complex molecules by combining together in spite of their entropic tendency to fall apart or become oxidized. As more and more complex molecules formed in the vast oceans (which were shallower and more expansive in the early part of Earths history), by pure chance forms that could absorb light with higher and higher efficiencies and catalyze reactions that formed molecules that were precursors to themselves formed. The “pure chance” of this necessitated large oceans so the chance of this happening would be likely. Once such light absorbing catalyzing chemicals formed, they multiplied forming their precursors and mutually supplying each other the lesser molecules to form the higher molecules. In effect the entire ocean become like a giant primitive cell. At one point porphyrin rings formed and were the most successful of this type of self replicating molecule. Porphyrin rings complexes became more and more advanced until self contained cells formed with porphyrin rings as the light absorber. At this point it was every cell for itself and classical evolution began. Porphyrin rings are found in all forms of cellular life. Porphyrin rings are our most ancient ancestor, the most notable example being chlorophyl. This process of chemical evolution necessitates a large ocean of water. Any life in the universe must be carbon based and it must have chemically evolved in a large ocean of water. Any planet with life upon it must be a watery planet like our own.
Continuing with the subject of early evolution, light absorbing porphyrin rings became encased in molecules that are hydrophobic on one end and hydrophilic on the other. Such molecular groups are called micelles. Amino acids incorporated into the wall of the micelle. Again they are a chance occurrence of photon-catalytically created molecules. Amino acids are polar and easily combine into the wall of a mycell. In the next step of chemical evolution, these amino acids became peptides associated with the energy absorption of the porphyrin ring and helped to catalyze chemical reactions. Gradually they evolved into the protein enzymes we know today. As these porphyrin-protein micelles evolved, ribonucleic acid (RNA) became involved and became the catalyst for the formation of proteins. And, it evolved into the genetic material of these early cells. At one point all cellular life in the early oceans was RNA genetically based. As the presence of ribonucleic acids increased in the oceans, deoxyribonucleic acids occurred by chance (Please remember chancy occurrences are the foundation of evolution.) and slowly found a place in the evolving RNA cells as their templates. And as you can see, it slowly replaced RNA in the information bearing role of RNA to become the genetic material of life. At this point we leave the realm of chemical evolution with a grand ocean of cells that evolved into the life of today.
In order for life to form there must be large oceans of water upon the planet. This is a necessity for chemical evolution. Once there were large oceans upon Earth with small stable molecules dissolved in them, like dissolved carbon dioxide, et al, the sunlight falling upon the molecules would energize them by exciting an electron to an upper orbital; thus making them able to form more complex molecules by combining together in spite of their entropic tendency to fall apart or become oxidized. As more and more complex molecules formed in the vast oceans (which were shallower and more expansive in the early part of Earths history), by pure chance forms that could absorb light with higher and higher efficiencies and catalyze reactions that formed molecules that were precursors to themselves formed. The “pure chance” of this necessitated large oceans so the chance of this happening would be likely. Once such light absorbing catalyzing chemicals formed, they multiplied forming their precursors and mutually supplying each other the lesser molecules to form the higher molecules. In effect the entire ocean become like a giant primitive cell. At one point porphyrin rings formed and were the most successful of this type of self replicating molecule. Porphyrin rings complexes became more and more advanced until self contained cells formed with porphyrin rings as the light absorber. At this point it was every cell for itself and classical evolution began. Porphyrin rings are found in all forms of cellular life. Porphyrin rings are our most ancient ancestor, the most notable example being chlorophyl. This process of chemical evolution necessitates a large ocean of water. Any life in the universe must be carbon based and it must have chemically evolved in a large ocean of water. Any planet with life upon it must be a watery planet like our own.
Continuing with the subject of early evolution, light absorbing porphyrin rings became encased in molecules that are hydrophobic on one end and hydrophilic on the other. Such molecular groups are called micelles. Amino acids incorporated into the wall of the micelle. Again they are a chance occurrence of photon-catalytically created molecules. Amino acids are polar and easily combine into the wall of a mycell. In the next step of chemical evolution, these amino acids became peptides associated with the energy absorption of the porphyrin ring and helped to catalyze chemical reactions. Gradually they evolved into the protein enzymes we know today. As these porphyrin-protein micelles evolved, ribonucleic acid (RNA) became involved and became the catalyst for the formation of proteins. And, it evolved into the genetic material of these early cells. At one point all cellular life in the early oceans was RNA genetically based. As the presence of ribonucleic acids increased in the oceans, deoxyribonucleic acids occurred by chance (Please remember chancy occurrences are the foundation of evolution.) and slowly found a place in the evolving RNA cells as their templates. And as you can see, it slowly replaced RNA in the information bearing role of RNA to become the genetic material of life. At this point we leave the realm of chemical evolution with a grand ocean of cells that evolved into the life of today.
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