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From: ian@loral.UUCP (Ian Kaplan)
Newsgroups: net.bio,net.origins,net.sci,net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: The missing step -- self-reproducing organisms
Message-ID: <644@loral.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Nov-84 01:17:57 EST
Article-I.D.: loral.644
Posted: Mon Nov 12 01:17:57 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Nov-84 05:11:06 EST
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  The question raised in the original posting is so complex that it defies
  any sort of simple answer, so I will keep my note brief (also this is
  going to multiple news groups, and doubtless cluttering up other wise
  useful disk space).

    o There seems to be a fair amount of controversy regarding the
    probability of live arising out of the primevil soup.  The best that
    can probably be said is that the probability is unknown.

    o In the last issue of Scientific American there was an article on
    Prions.  Prions are infectious particles which seem to reproduce.
    They have, as yet, been unable to find any DNA or RNA associated with
    Prions.  If it is indeed finally shown that Prions do not contain DNA
    or RNA, it suggests that a Prion like form might have been the step
    between the primeval protiens and a more complex organisum with genetic
    memory.

    o Intellegence has survival value, so I do not think that it is a valid
    assumption that intellegence is rare.

    o Intellegent life could have arisen many millions of years ago and
    either progressed on to something else or wiped itself out.

    o While you are thinking about questions like the origin of life think
    of this:

      There is a theory that the universe is cyclic.  It arose from the
      primal monoblock (something like a huge black hole, which contained
      the entire universe) and will eventually contract into another primal
      monoblock.  From there it will explode again, creating yet another
      universe.  If this creation of new universes goes on without end all
      things will happen, since there is an infinity of time.  Not only
      will all things happen in this infinity, but they will happen an
      infinite number of times.  This means that even though the
      possibility of you existing again is infinitely small, in an infinity
      of time it will happen.

   I did not want you to run out of philosophical questions to ponder.

			       Ian Kaplan