Bacteria and the Origin of Life (February 9)
Bacteria are both the most diverse and the most numerous life forms upon earth. You actually have more bacteria on and within your body than human cells. The diversity of these bacteria continues to amaze scientists. Dr. Kenneth Nealson leads a team of scientists that has discovered a new type of bacteria–electric bacteria–which can survive on pure electricity. These bacteria have the ability to both deposit and remove electrons directly from surfaces as their “food”. His team has identified over 1000 varieties of bacteria which make use of electricity for survival. Six of these bacterial strains have the ability to survive on electricity alone. Electric bacteria should not “shock” us; God designs beyond our imaginations! Science now has an entire new area to “think God’s thoughts” and see how He has put it together.
Even though these bacteria have a unique method of survival, they are made from biologically useful chemicals which have only been shown to exist and be produced by living cells. These complex bio-chemicals have never been shown to exist outside of a cell. So what implication does this discovery have on the origin of life?
- Electricity did not bring them alive; it is used for survival.
- These bacteria are made of complex bio-chemicals that only exist inside a living cell.
- The coded DNA information in these bacteria is so complex that it would be impossible for it to have written itself.
- There is no link between non-living chemicals and these bacteria. These distinct forms of life show no indication of turning into anything other than copies of themselves.
Yet the researchers who discovered these bacteria attribute their existence to “evolution”. In other words, they assume that they simply created themselves. They further speculate that similar forms of life have made themselves all over the universe. Billions of dollars are being spent to search our universe for any other signs of life. Yet not a shred of evidence has been found.
In actually, the diversity of life does nothing but demonstrate the power and creativity of the Creator of life. The more we learn about its complexity and diversity, the less excuse we have for ignoring God’s existence.
Psalm 105:1
KJV: O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
NIV: Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
Reference
Powell, Corey. February 2015. Popular Science. p.32.
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DVD: Unlocking the Mystery of Life, Illustra Media