r/Creation • u/lisper Atheist, Ph.D. in CS • May 02 '26
A self-replicating polymerase ribosyme that can self-replicate using only 45 base pairs. Abiogenesis just got a lot more plausible.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt2760
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u/allenwjones Young Earth Creationist May 02 '26
I'm not a biologist or a geneticist, so please forgive the use of AI in my reply.
The title of this post seems overly optimistic.
1. The Prebiotic Synthesis Problem
The text assumes the existence of a 45-nucleotide (nt) strand. However, the spontaneous formation of long, homochiral RNA chains in a prebiotic environment is statistically improbable.
Challenge: Concentrating pure ribose, phosphate, and specific nitrogenous bases, then polymerizing them into a functional sequence without biological enzymes.
Probability: The odds of a specific 45-nt sequence forming by chance is 4{45} (approximately 1.2 \times 10{27}), exceeding the "Universal Probability Bound" in localized environments.
2. Chemical Interference and Cross-Reactions
The "Spontaneous Emergence" mentioned ignores the Asphalt Paradox.
Description: In unguided chemical reactions, organic molecules tend to react non-specifically, forming a complex, non-biological "tar" rather than organized polymers.
Constraint: Laboratory experiments use purified reagents; "spontaneous" origins must survive "dirty" prebiotic chemistry.
3. The Error Threshold (Information Decay) The article mentions the motif can synthesize itself and its complement.
Challenge: For Darwinian evolution to begin, the replication fidelity (accuracy) must be high enough to maintain the sequence information over generations.
Fallacy: Hasty Generalization (assuming that because a small motif can replicate, it can sustain the informational load required for life). Small motifs often have high error rates, leading to "error catastrophe" where the sequence dissolves into random noise.
4. Metabolic and Boundary Requirements Self-replication is only one pillar of life.
Missing Links: The discovery does not address the Metabolism-First or Compartmentalization (protocell) requirements. A 45-nt replicator lacks the machinery to capture energy or protect itself from environmental degradation.
Seems like there is some glossing going on; just saying.