Origins of Life

In celebration of Darwin's birthday this past week, I've will dedicate this topic to the relationship between evolution and intelligent creation. The main argument separating these two theories is that all species have been proven to evolve, as opposed to being created by an intelligent being individually, and being plopped onto this earth. However, does anyone find it peculiar that the genetic makeup of all species is perfectly suited for evolution? Why did the common ancestor of all life have a genetic code composed of nucleic acids which was used to pass information onto the next generation. This method seems almost too perfect, then again, perhaps it was perfected by eons of natural selection. Still, the genetic makeup of the simplest species and the most complex are undeniably related in a very close fashion.

How would life have been different if heredity was determined by proteins? Central dogma states that DNA is transcribed to RNA, which is translated to amino acids, which eventually go on to form proteins. Scientists once believed that proteins were the code of life, which logically makes sense because all of life is made from proteins, which originate from combinations from a mere 20 or so amino acids. If the code of life comprised of proteins, however, there would be no conceivable way to transfer genetic information onto the next generation. In comes DNA. To think that the environment's affects on one little process has created so much speciation is uncanny. Yet all life is bound together by this code. Life is all we know, but what if there is something else out there? Something that doesn't necessarily adhere to central dogma.