Title Author Date

Divine Farce -- ID vs Science Danielson, Sheldon Nov 12, 2005

Professor Chalmers,

Thank you very much for your generous comments on my paper. I am eager to get as many comments on it as possible both for my own information, and for revisions of it. I've found your paper "Extremophiles May Be Irrelevant to the Origin of Life" and will certainly read it. You have no doubt figured out that I am not a biologist, so suggestions/corrections are particularly welcome from those who are.

Concerning the first reproducers, I think I said the same things, more or less, that you did. At the end of Section IV, is this:

"But while we're here at the creation (so to speak), it's appropriate to point out that the first "life" -- the first reproducers -- need not have been DNA based at all. [29] Some simpler, therefore more probable but less stable, reproducer might have kicked things off and later evolved into DNA."

If this is chaged to "more stable", then it seems almost identical to what you said. I really didn't mean to lean on stability at all, not being qualified to do so. What I had in mind was that the first reproducers (I think we can assume) lacked the elaborate defenses against miscopying that modern DNA, aided by its various "helpers" has. Anyway, this will go into my revision list.

Are you the John H. Chalmers who is a Harry Partch expert? I'm no expert, but I am a fan. I have an old LP recording of "Delusions of the Furies" which must be something of a collector's item by now.

Thanks again,
Sheldon Danielson

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