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The Stairway To Life: An Origin-Of-Life Reality Check
Spontaneous generation of living organisms—life arising without progenitor or seed—was a common belief in the time of Aristotle. Over the next two thousand years, support for spontaneous generation slowly retreated to its final spontaneous formation of the first living organism.
From recently acquired insights into the complexity of the simplest organisms, Tan and Stadler specify requirements for spontaneous formation of life and evaluate the prospects for natural processes to satisfy these requirements. The Stairway to Life is a thought-provoking inquiry that breaches the final stronghold of spontaneous generation.
From recently acquired insights into the complexity of the simplest organisms, Tan and Stadler specify requirements for spontaneous formation of life and evaluate the prospects for natural processes to satisfy these requirements. The Stairway to Life is a thought-provoking inquiry that breaches the final stronghold of spontaneous generation.
- GenresScience
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 12, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 18, 2022
This is a book I wish everyone would read! If you hold a materialistic worldview, then by definition life MUST have arisen by a purely materialistic/naturalistic process. But the hurdles that you have to overcome in order to explain the origin of life in this way are astronomical. This book clearly and concisely articulates exactly what is necessary for life to come into existence. If you hold a theistic worldview, then this book offers incredible evidence for the necessity of intelligent design in the origin of life, meaning it certainly fits well into a theistic framework. Don’t be intimidated by all the science media trying to tell you otherwise!! This book is not just for science minded people either! The chapters are short and to the point, and the authors provide everyday examples as analogies of the processes they are describing, so even if you get lost in the science part you can still understand the point they are making! The question “where did we come from?” is one that most people ask at some point in their lives. Any answer you choose to accept will have deep philosophical and theistic implications, so it’s important to make your decision based on the truth of what we know about how life works and what would be needed to get it started. This book provides a perfect summary of that truth!
December 29, 2022
Ever wonder what *exactly* it would take for one weeny little living cell to evolve from nonliving chemicals? I give you: The Stairway to Life.
The authors list twelve “steps” necessary to take a jumble of molecules to a functioning, reproducing cell, but even then they skip some things for sake of time. From the origami folded proteins to the basics of DNA to picky semi-permeable membranes, the authors take us through the in and outs of the tiny cell parts. Cells are crazing amazing- we think of them as simple but there are so many ridiculously small complicated parts that I lost track. 🦠
Another fascinating section dealt with the work of one scientist who made his own cell from scratch- sort of. 😉
This book was maybe a wee bit advanced for me; I felt I would have done much better had I recently taken a Biology class. The authors were actually very clear in the explanations to the lay people, but I sometimes had trouble keeping all the definitions in my head. I often read in small chunks but most of the chapters are concise enough to be relatively short. So I was more or less able to follow, and felt the authors made their point well.
Looking for a science-is-awesome brain bender? Try “The Stairway to Life.”
The authors list twelve “steps” necessary to take a jumble of molecules to a functioning, reproducing cell, but even then they skip some things for sake of time. From the origami folded proteins to the basics of DNA to picky semi-permeable membranes, the authors take us through the in and outs of the tiny cell parts. Cells are crazing amazing- we think of them as simple but there are so many ridiculously small complicated parts that I lost track. 🦠
Another fascinating section dealt with the work of one scientist who made his own cell from scratch- sort of. 😉
This book was maybe a wee bit advanced for me; I felt I would have done much better had I recently taken a Biology class. The authors were actually very clear in the explanations to the lay people, but I sometimes had trouble keeping all the definitions in my head. I often read in small chunks but most of the chapters are concise enough to be relatively short. So I was more or less able to follow, and felt the authors made their point well.
Looking for a science-is-awesome brain bender? Try “The Stairway to Life.”
February 3, 2026
The origin of life is a Gordian knot for those who hold to a purely naturalistic cause for life. And unlike Alexander the Great it is not as simple as hacking it through with a sword or with the blade of good intentions and dreamy-eyed speculation. It requires the “miracle” of abiogenesis which has never been observed. But that hasn’t stopped a delusional optimism from driving research and funds into trying to create the perfect prebiotic soup that could lead to life.
The authors in this book demonstrate how difficult it is to pull off this experiment. We’re not talking about climbing Mt. Everest, we’re talking about trying to pogo jump from the earth to the Moon. The level of complexity, the range of factors, the precise and fine-tuned nature of life defies attempts of oversimplification.
While the first part of this book is a bit technical the authors provide helpful chapter summaries of the information, so I didn’t feel lost in the weeds. The second part was a 12 step walk through of the hurdles that must be leapt over to produce life from scratch. I think the authors accomplish their goal of showing at each individual step and then collectively, the creation of life from scratch remains the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The authors are clear, write well, use some great analogies to help readers digest their points and ultimately make an airtight case despite the mass of wishful thinking that permeates the realm of naturalistic science.
The authors in this book demonstrate how difficult it is to pull off this experiment. We’re not talking about climbing Mt. Everest, we’re talking about trying to pogo jump from the earth to the Moon. The level of complexity, the range of factors, the precise and fine-tuned nature of life defies attempts of oversimplification.
While the first part of this book is a bit technical the authors provide helpful chapter summaries of the information, so I didn’t feel lost in the weeds. The second part was a 12 step walk through of the hurdles that must be leapt over to produce life from scratch. I think the authors accomplish their goal of showing at each individual step and then collectively, the creation of life from scratch remains the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The authors are clear, write well, use some great analogies to help readers digest their points and ultimately make an airtight case despite the mass of wishful thinking that permeates the realm of naturalistic science.
November 16, 2020
An excellent book that dispels the notion that life began spontaneously
This book more than any other I have read demolishes the hypothesis of abiogenesis. After reading this book, a theist or atheist can reach no other logical conclusion than that life was created by intelligence. Where the intelligence originates or who the intelligent designer(s) are is not discussed. The authors leave it up to the reader to insert the designer of choice. Compellingly written but very complex. Be prepared to take your time to understand the complexities described.
This book more than any other I have read demolishes the hypothesis of abiogenesis. After reading this book, a theist or atheist can reach no other logical conclusion than that life was created by intelligence. Where the intelligence originates or who the intelligent designer(s) are is not discussed. The authors leave it up to the reader to insert the designer of choice. Compellingly written but very complex. Be prepared to take your time to understand the complexities described.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews