"Why we might be alone" Public Lecture by Prof David Kipping

Have you truly watched the Hazen lecture? He argued that in view of the astronomical number of chemical reactions, if we reduced the chance for abiogenesis to a factor of 10^50, we might have some ten thousand origins of life. That does not mean they all survived! Remember Natural Selection?

Don’t forget that about 50% of the chemicals involved are already present and a deterministic aspect of abiogenesis. Carbon, water, clay, heat, pressure, electrical sparks (lightning) are all very common raw materials throughout the universe.

Cell formation is easy. Pattern formation of compatible chemicals is easy. A planet does not need a helping hand to do trillions of chemical experiments every minute of the day.

I believe you underestimate the natural experimental power inherent in planetary dynamic potentials.

Consider that every single nook and cranny on earth has some form of life. How did all that life get so dispersed and completely different in evolutionary features, unless there were several origination sites? I can see wind borne pollen or flying insects, but how did life begin in the ocean, on land , in the arctic ice, in volcanic pools, In acid environments, 2 miles deep in the earth’s crust?

All that from a single cell? Why should that be necessary, unless it is just ine more excuse to make life a single “miracle”?