Re: The tar paradox

On 12/13/24 7:18 PM, MarkE wrote:

'“If you put energy into organic material it turns to asphalt, not to life,” Benner explains. Without access to Darwinian evolution–that is, without organic molecules having the opportunity to reproduce and create offspring who themselves, mutations and all, are reproducible–organic matter that is bathed in energy (from sunlight or from geothermal heat) will turn into tar.'
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/did-life-come-to-earth-from-mars-2378085/
 Benner's proposed solution is borate minerals...on Mars. Which is a euphemism for no solution.
 The so-called "tar paradox" I think is simply entropy at work. Namely, configurational entropy. with "tar" being defined as a homogeneous mixture of chemicals tending to a high entropy, low energy equilibrium state.
 The output of a potential prebiotic process (e.g. Miller-Urey) producing organic molecules will do this, because there are are just so many more configurations of molecules for tar. A tiny proportion of possible configurations are heterogeneous, high-energy, high concentration, etc.
 The nitrogen and oxygen molecules (N2 and O2) in the room you're in will never separate and asphyxiate you, thanks to configurational entropy. Similarly, prebiotic chemistry tends to produce tar. Benner at least has been willing to squarely confront this: "All living things are made of organic matter, but if you add energy such as heat or light to organic molecules and leave them to themselves, they don’t create life. Instead, they turn into something more like tar, oil or asphalt." Regardless of the amount of raw energy pouring into a (prebiotic) open system.
 --------
 PS
 With all that said, you have to admire to the optimism of Jeremy England:
 “You start with a random clump of atoms, and if you shine light on it for long enough, it should not be so surprising that you get a plant,” England said.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-new-physics-theory-of-life/
 Prediction: this will be shown to be so wrong that it's not even wrong.
 

Without reproduction tar is what you get for sure.  Nitrogen is high enough concentration cause death by asphyxiation.
As for growing plants if it's possible, it would take a along time.  As you say, it may be not even wrong.