Challenge 15: This is perhaps the most controversial thread in this blog. Unbiased scientific observation teaches that a living cell needs to make a single-step, fully-formed first appearance in a matter of minutes. It also gives many reasons why natural processes cannot do this. The natural conclusion of these two observations is that the first appearance of a living cell must be a miraculous event. The logic requiring this is extremely simple, almost trivial. This will make it extremely hard to legitimately falsify.

There are two scientific principles underlying this conclusion, Virchow’s aphorism and dynamic self organization.

Rudolf Virchow was a German scientist in the mid-1800s. He made the observation that living cells come only from living cells. There is a certain minimal complexity required for a cell to survive. Removing any required component results in the death of a cell. This is discussed in more depth in Article 3. However, the natural conclusion is simple: If a cell dies if any essential component or function is removed, then all of the essential components must make a single-step first appearance.

Cells assemble by means of Dynamic Self Organization. This requires active, dynamic relationships between cellular components within a cell from its beginning. This requires a minimum input of energy, otherwise components quickly degrade. Once a cell dies, degradation of components is extremely rapid. Typically, it is only a matter of minutes before cell “death” becomes irreversible. Dynamically self-organized cellular structures cannot wait around for thousands of years for other cellular components to appear.

These two principles, Virchow’s aphorism and dynamic self-organization give scientific basis for the scope of organization required for minimal cellular life and the time-frame in which it can take place: an entire minimal cell needs to make its completely, fully functional appearance within minutes. The includes a fully implemented genome of several hundred thousand base pairs, all of the translation hardware to use the genome, all of the cellular apparatus for replication and metabolism, the various intertwined feedback control mechanisms required for cellular function, and a cell membrane with its active transport mechanisms. Evolutionary processes cannot provide all of these features and their dynamic relationships in minutes, but science sets this as the requirement. Since the requirements of a minimal cell are outside the capabilities of natural processes to form, then it must have a miraculous origin. Rejection of this on philosophical grounds represents fake science.

The challenge is to falsify the above logic using scientifically observed principles, not philosophical preferences and not imagined evidence of what hoped-for future discoveries might teach. If you have legitimate comments based on scientific observation, here is your opportunity to present them. they are welcome. Just remember, though, that this is not a controlled science journal where materialists allow only one side of the issue to be presented. Your comments will be open to public review.