Re: Wistar Symposium "Mathematical Challenge to Neo-Darwinism".

On 2024-06-02 18:50:32 +0000, Ernest Major said:
 

On 02/06/2024 14:55, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:

On 2024-05-31 19:00:00 +0000, Ernest Major said:
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On 31/05/2024 18:36, Ron Dean wrote:

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How the biologist responded to these "problems"? I've found nothing on the net. I found a book on Amazon for $300, but I'm not buying it. This symposium took place in 1966, so it's possible that the
challenges have been met in the intervening years since then.

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At 10% of that price there is https://www.amazon.co.uk/Failures-Mathematical-Anti-Evolutionism-Jason-Rosenhouse/dp/1108820441 >
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The summary for chapter 4 is "We discuss the famous Wistar conference from 1966, in which high-level mathematical challenges to evolutionary theory were presented. We refute these challenges and discuss the historical significance of the conference in shaping modern mathematical anti-evolutionism."
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However, I know of several challenges that so far as I know have not been answered.
The questions  are: There are over 500 amino acids found in nature, 50% left-handed, but if blind, aimless, unguided natural processes selected the 20 or 22 amino acids that used by all life what are
the chances of these particular particular 20 left-handed amino acids being selected?  I realize there are theories offered to explain why only left-handed amino acids were selected, but what about the 20? Or is it possible that any other set of amino acids would have worked just as well?

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The last time you made this claim I tracked down the source of the 500 number, and found that this was 500 different amino acids which occur in living organisms. I asked you to consider how many of these amino acids existed in meaningful quantities (if at all) on the pre-biotic earth. I presume that you haven't done so.
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I've also brought to you attention that 20/22 amino acids used by all life is an oversimplification. All variants of the genetic code encode 20 proteinogenic amino acids, so those are used by all life. Some prokaryotes have genetic codes that also encode a 21st amino acid, i.e. pyrolysine.

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Also selenocysteine.

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Mentioned 2 sentences later.

 True. I looked but I didn't see it. Getting old, I fear.