Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site psivax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!psivax!friesen From: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) Newsgroups: net.origins Subject: Re: stereoisomers Message-ID: <194@psivax.UUCP> Date: Thu, 6-Dec-84 11:11:22 EST Article-I.D.: psivax.194 Posted: Thu Dec 6 11:11:22 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 8-Dec-84 05:53:25 EST References: <1066@grigg.UUCP> Reply-To: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley friesen) Organization: Pacesetter Systems Inc., Sylmar, CA Lines: 22 Summary: In article <1066@grigg.UUCP> dmr@grigg.UUCP writes: >An article in Nature about 6 weeks ago proposed an explanation >for the preponderance of L-amino acids in living forms. >It calculates a small effect from the (non parity-conserving) >weak force that would make the L forms more favorable energetically. >I found it less than completely convincing. (The energy differential >was, at most, about 1 part in 1e-17). Biologists have had another explanation for a number of years. It is known that clay-surface-layer catalysis is capable of generating polarized organic compounds. Considering that clay particles would have been present almost as long as the Earth, I think this is quite adequate as an explanation. The basic fallacy of this creationists' approach is the implicit assumption that an incomplete explanation is inadequate, and that unknown *details* invalidate the entire concept. If this were so *all* scientifiec theories would be invalid, since *none* is complete, and all include "I don't know"s. -- Sarima (Stanley Friesen) (ucbvax!hplabs!sdcrdcf!psivax!friesen)