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Notes:


Let’s look closer at protein formation. This is a famous calculation popularized by Duane Gish. If you want a specific protein composed of n amino acids in a chain, the probability of getting that particular protein scales as 1/20 to the n th power. Astronomically low odds are quickly realized. For a 100 amino acid protein, the probability is 1 with 130 zeros after it to one. Now you may argue that many proteins, as opposed to a specific protein are acceptable for the evolution of life and such slim odds for useful protein formation are not a problem. That’s why we all must rely on experiment.

In a famous calculation several years ago, a couple of mathematicians calculated the odds of the spontaneous formation of life as 1040,000 to 1! About as likely as a tornado blowing through a junkyard and assembling a Boeing 747!