“The astonishing array of ‘just so’ coincidences”

First, I offer a couple of passages from James N. Gardner, Biocosm: The New Scientific Theory of Evolution: Intelligent Life is the Architect of the Universe (Makawao, Maui, HI: Inner Ocean, 2003):

the astonishing array of “just so” coincidences inherent in the physical characteristics of our universe — qualities that render the cosmos spookily hospitable to carbon-based life.  The scientists’ incredible conclusion: the statistical improbability of a universe possessing all the life-friendly characteristics exhibited by our cosmos is simply too great to exclude the possibility of a nonrandom origin.  (10)

Just previous to this, Biocosmos quotes the Anglo-American physicist Paul Davies, from his 1998 book The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life:

In claiming that water means life, NASA scientists are . . . making — tacitly — a huge and profound assumption about the nature of nature.  They are saying, in effect, that the laws of the universe are cunningly contrived to coax life into being against the raw odds; that the mathematical principles of physics, in their elegant simplicity, somehow know in advance about life and its vast complexity.  If life follows from [primordial] soup with causal dependability, the laws of nature encode a hidden subtext, a cosmic imperative, which tells them:  “Make life!”  And, through life, it by-products: mind, knowledge, understanding.  It means that the laws of the universe have engineered their own comprehension.  This is a breathtaking vision of nature, magnificent and uplifting in its majestic sweep.  I hope it is correct.  It would be wonderful if it were correct.  But if it is, it represents a shift in the scientific world-view as profound as that initiated by Copernicus and Darwin put together.  (9-10)

Now, in the light of the two passages above, I invite you to consider this item from Jeff Lindsay’s always-interesting Mormanity blog.

“Stunning Revelation about the Building Blocks of Life, Amino Acids”

“Lucky beyond belief,” concludes Dr. Lindsay, who holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.  “Or rather, lucky in a way that should strengthen belief for those open to the possibility of the existence of a Creator.”

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And now for some other interesting science news:

“Could the Moon Act As a Fishing Net for Extraterrestrial Life?  Its surface could preserve the remains of organisms or even technology from beyond our solar system.”

“How Jurassic Plankton Stole Control of the Ocean’s Chemistry: Only 170 million years ago, new plankton evolved. Their demand for carbon and calcium permanently transformed the seas as homes for life.”