When I was in junior high school, I seldom missed Star Trek (the original series) on TV. In one of my favorite episodes the crew of the Enterprise encountered a silicon-based life-form, called a … more

New Study Uncovers More Evidence for Biochemical Optimization and Intelligent Design

My new favorite drink is Coke Zero. I love how this zero-calorie soda tastes like the real thing, without any of … more

The intense salty taste followed by spewed water in the sink is a telltale sign that the system isn’t properly washing the column with the liquid from the brine tank.

Salty water is not good to … more

Size also matters to biochemists. Conventional wisdom places the lower bound on life at about 1 micron (give or take a few hundred nanometers). In 1999, the National Academy of Sciences sponsored a … more

Genetic Code Indicates that Life Did Not Originate at High Temperatures

My father—who was from India—loved hot, spicy foods. In fact, he was quite proud of his ability to eat food that … more

However, despite a quadrupling of funds in just six years (compared to a vastly smaller increase for all the other sciences) and despite decades of diligent searching, no one has found any evidence … more

A mile and a half down, beyond the reach of sunlight, volcanic geysers spew 400°C water into the oceans. Life teems around these deep, hidden vents—pink sea cucumbers, eyeless shrimp, … more

Cedric and Winnie want to live in the comfort zone. Likewise, most organisms on Earth exist in “comfortable” environments.1 Most life exists at temperatures between 5 and 40 °C (41-102 … more

Most questioners are looking for a particular answer. Science fiction novels, The Planetary Society, and countless movies, from E.T. to Contact to Planet of the Apes, suggest that extraterrestrial … more

No wonder these systems hold such fascination for scientists, for everyone! In October 1999, Science focused an entire edition on planetary systems. It featured a dozen papers on the topic, including … more

Summary by Dr. Fazale ("Fuz") Rana and Dr. Hugh Ross

General Information

Venue and Program

Attendees

Atmosphere

Abiotic/Prebiotic Chemistry

Oxygen Problem

Biotic Methane Production … more

Hugh Ross and I made this observation as we spent time recently among some of the most distinguished scholars in the origin-of-life ranks at the combined 12th International Conference on the Origin of … more