Brian O’Dowd was born in Dublin. He lives in Toronto. O’Dowd is a Professor at the University of Toronto. His novel ‘A Wicklow Girl’, was published in 2017. Available on Amazon etc. Publisher: Tellwell, Canada. In 2019 he won the prestigious Prix Galien 2019 Canadian Science Award, as reported in the Irish Times.https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/dubliner-wins-prix-galien-2019-award-for-pharmaceutical-research-1.4093350
Now We Know! Ⓒ
Brian O’Dowd
Penny for your thoughts,
not a dime more.
Had that pesky asteroid rock but missed our planet by smidgens,
then never to enjoy our brief but wonderful Showband era.
T Rex and buddies stand frolicking in the ‘Forty Foot’,
that day heads held high under all clear blue sky.
All mammals like bats hanging in the balance,
frightened furry creators appear only by night,
out scurrying about hidden by hedgerows.
‘Only born to bloom and blush unseen.’
Wexford still with sunshine beaches.
Tons more monsters in Lough Ness.
Loads more Dino fossils for fuel!
Bonus someday.
Life not from chance
Despite immense cellular functional knowledge, determined biology experts exclude ‘design’. Maybe such foundations now stand on their shakier legs? Are strident efforts excluding a Deity from life’s miracle misshapen? Knowing from whence we came marks milestones in our graduation as a sentient species. This profound revealing event occurred early ~1960, drastically increased understanding of how ‘life’ works. Minds in abundance were altered, saints created from sinners! Those scientists nailed it, left us in awe for evermore! Watershed moments, then after flood gates opened.
Revealed was sets of thinking from an entirely different Place. Faraway from here. Suffice to declare discovered was that life is full of twists and turns! Biology ‘six ways to Sunday’ transformed, medicine since galloped having cleared that Bechers Brook.
Biology ‘Moon shot’.
Greatest gift for Mankind.
Beautiful to behold.
God speed!
Staring us in the face ever since hyper-hyper ‘Technology’ exceeding anything fiction teases. Previously surrounded by life, yet no concept how such miracles created.
So here it be:
Revealed DNA contains exquisite coded information for creating proteins using 20 amino acids and how manufacturing proteins according to that plan. DNA code identical for all forms of life on the planet, provides answers to life’s origin, excludes many theories of how life began. Sixty years since discovery realise what incredible miraculous device exists in cells. Our cell nucleus contains a manual with instructions for creation of life. Aspects of life’s miracle portray brilliance with satisfaction.
Absolutely!
Nothing from this world compares.
Only one way, not two ways.
Divine inspiration revealed.
Miraculous Glory.
Credit where credit is due.
That life was coded signalled understanding previously an unknown factor of Darwinian evolution. This biology not as rocket mechanics to ‘comprehend’, High School pupils learn from glossy figures in text books. Many maintain ‘Designer’ did not conceive life but cannot provide other explanations. Mostly implausible unsatisfactory distractions, hand waving and mumbles. ‘Better recheck the math’.
Problem is with cells and DNA, can’t have one without the other.
Nature makes all appear too easy.
Enables deniers their POV.
Delicate blades of grass to polar bears.
Flowers and weeds in the breeze.
Life grinds on, flawless relentless.
Loads of strict work, out from our vision.
When species get wiped out?
Mere drops in life’s bucket?
Seeds from crannies flower again.
From almost nothing they bounce back.
Human discoveries result from custom of ‘Fool write it down’ or else of no value. Who ever invented libraries, secret of our success! Go ask anybody. Even down trodden and poor get to read, a chance to take off in life, to throw the book at them. BTW no cellular laissez faire, it’s all serious business, finest rigors with wheels turning way better than clockwork. Even with bears in hibernation still cells keep going. Interesting related fact is that polar bears do not hibernate.
Here we be
Our ‘Observer’ put Homo Sapiens in rich environments, surrounded by history of how life has developed. Show and tell involves processes guarded over by intent, intrusion activities of our creator. It is a harsh universe out there in Solar System with no other life. To extent that hand of Creator can be detected.
As Yet!
‘Science’ not to describe how Universe began,
when delivering Universe atoms
from source mysterious!
Seems mostly ‘Abracadabra’!
Dust unloaded now aggregated,
by power of Gravitas.
Got us lot together,
for life on Earth.
However distant we now are,
once squeezed tight together.
Before that Big Bang.
Our Creator plans
Colossal Universe with trillions of planets, only some to bear ‘life’. Mostly harsh places as observed for our solar system, no lively neighbours in this single star system. There’s no mystery required to understand useful cellular molecules being harvested from environment.
How in Heaven’s name anyone make same bizarre claim for this DNA ‘molecule’?
Contains coding technology abilities to create every planet Earth species, life emerging not simple as this planet equipped with liquid water, companion of cellular life, but magnificent life in all manifestations never occurs by happenstance. Living forms arrived guided and ‘yes’ design, from cellular miracle with powers for adaptions to environments.
How to make an Elephant from Go?
We tend to underestimate powers of DNA. Imagine the coding required to construct the beast! Big flappy ears, trunk, tail, tusks. Then fit all that info/instructions inside a wee cell? Lady elephants sincere promise follow that for 18 to 22 months. Adult elephants weigh from 5 to 7 tons!
Imagine!
Ginormous body.
Different ones from Africa, India.
All created by code.
How’s that happen?
Try genius!
Woolly Mammoth.
Major!
Maybe now let sleeping mammoths lie.
Oft repeated we are but accidents that long time and Nature created us. Well that’s lucky for us. From cave dwellers, then have heart and minds curious to elucidate life’s ‘Master Control’. The very heart of a cell with a encoding device, by hind-sight still nothing all cut and dried. Essentially we discovered Nature alone unaided could not create that DNA code.
Who knew?
Recycled.
We are ancient molecules
forever getting re-harnessed,
dragged back to life’s grind stone.
Made ‘fit up’ eager for another go.
Not too shabby!
In puzzling life’s eternal jig saw.
Dominos in a row will fall, only after getting set up.
First one needs a push.
Dinos had their generous shot of 179 million years, left footprints them scary fossils with never once brushed big teeth. Brawn not brain working for them. Then having no telescopes their final undoing. If only! Did not know what they’d got then it was over. Why our world needs loads more scientists, there’s so much more we need to know. Human Beings not hiding they flourished to build on shoulders of our giants. Get down to nitty gritty faster!
Dino’s dead end.
We are not of the Dinos.
Mammals fruit grew from higher branches.
Look at our battered moon.
Priority number one.
Learning to deflect space rocks.
Don’t get distracted.
That must our next Moon shot.
It was only in 1908 that meteor laid waste vast area of Siberia, sparse population. So we mostly dodged that bullet.
I’d not gamble potato chips on ‘Life’ as random occurrence. Holding rigid brave opinions in these fluid era better take care, while cellular life sheds secrets. Such thinkers not be dogmatic, all of us on board with wolves to poodles. Escape ‘Cul De Sac’ of opinions, see that fork in the road take it! Not head in the sand, that won’t wash no more.
Lead to water and not make them see?
Horizon calling, sure ‘there’s more beyond’.
Keep looking!
Between you and me,
if we go extinct,
weevils take over the joint.
Enlightenment Age
Includes ‘Scientific Reasoning’, manifested in Europe 17th to 18th centuries, separated Church and State. Scholars determined to curb religion’s power, offset times of intolerant views. Atheist opinion since dominated, now their heretics given the cold shoulder.
No ‘Designer’ in a Universe that God created?
As if that shoe fits.
Ha!
Now hold your horses!
World ‘belief’ is strong, evidenced by dedication to Notre-Dame’s restoration. Use of Bibles to make a vow solemn, take an Oath. Easter and Christmas days, recent updates on shroud of Turin. Pendulum time now on reverse swing from whence it’s long been. Seems that science is a bit responsible. Science created a comfortable world where we can sit about and chat. Nonchalant, not being dog tired from grinding in the mill or down the mine. Not be wondering about pushing some furry creatures off a cliff to have dinner in the village. To circumvent all that palaver we invented Supermarkets, they average ~42,200 items! Really I looked that up. That’s brain over brawn any day.
Ma what’s for dinner?
Whatever they bring home.
From the jungle.
Cells as artists
Bring back T Rex? Careful what you wish for. We don’t need that. Not a good idea. Send us back to the hedge rows.
Fortunate planet.
Only superior us.
Crafted by ‘DNA’, understand DNA!
Our mere blink of time.
One brick at a time.
Artists display creations.
Cells,
hog wild with Dinos.
Great gas!
But Cor blimey!
Tried but tired of brawn.
Back for another shot,
now make brainy creatures!
That stitch in time was us.
How you like us now?
Better or worse?
Will we celebrate in
180 million years!
Cheers!
In our brief time Michelangelo has carved ‘David’, Roy Orbison’s beautiful voice, then incredible, ‘Incredible String band’! That’s life!
Lots more knowledge in cells now unknown.
Super smart!
Gave rise to how we perceive.
Continue mine that mind!
There’s more.
Now Look Here
Cellware crafted instructions.
Favours and with rare flaws.
‘Make this a human yoke’.
All hands on the deck.
Best go Verbatim!
Each of ourselves got ‘fitted up’ from customized blueprints, tailored using selected genetic bits from Ma and Pa. Beginning from ‘Genesis’ conceived by God, parents required birds and bee activity. Even big shots got started in fertilized cells.
‘I love you.’
‘Yes, I love you too.’
Sorry.
Cannot choose parents.
Far as we know.
Provide cells decent material instructions they’ll do bang-up job. So Hero that’s down to you. Cells have so much to be proud of, number of Earth species set at 2.16 million. Cell technology acquainted with what they are doing who they are. Stacked up blueprint files organised for all manner of life. Whether good or bad, it’s not judgements cells make, they’ve been round the block. Maybe we are still thin edge of the wedge.
Set cat among pigeons?
No bother.
Dino, Aardvark, Armadillo, Mollusks, Ants.
Bacteria, Virus, Mosquitos, Pythons.
All arrive fit, then given times to thrive.
Tried and true rules got us so far.
Parasitic, Symbiotic.
Makes no difference.
Fair play, go have at it.
Zombie ants infected by a fungus to adversely affect their behaviour.
Addled minds bare that.
Poor workmen may blame their tools.
Cells work on with what they got.
Rest is up to youse.
Many steps still to climb, ferret countless double helix secrets, each ladder rung with a purpose. What’s this ‘junk’ DNA we hear about? Don’t think so. Some proteins creating facial structures known, but shared with all humanity. Why and how children assembled to resemble parents ‘miraculous’, that’s another for ‘Heaven knows’.
Why we do not all look the same?
What a riot that would be!
Think about that!
Best look like the parents.
How does that happen?
That’s DNA for ye.
It’s not sayin yet.
Serious business.
By means unknown.
Cheese and smile!
—————————————————————————————————————
Panspermia: Spread life?
Lifeless rocks from Mars, spotted as black stones in blinding white Antarctica. But alien life constantly or briefly arriving thru’ panspermia, that’s a route perilous for contamination.
DNA life falls from the sky?
That’s a stretch.
Getting tossed about willy-nilly.
Running the Universe?
Not judging.
I know my place.
See here our double stranded helix DNA with a righthand twist, not a ciotóg in-sight (left handed), those DNA codes identical all over the planet. How that happen? Amino acids exist in two forms L and D, (mirror images), our so fussy choosy proteins only employ the L ones. Conform or be gone!
Twist our right DNA way,
not twist about wrong way.
Right exact!
Our we do the Huckle-Buck!
Only Earth with observable life in this solar system. Reason? Increasing likely event aliens make contact perhaps becomes revealed that DNA is spread thru’ out Cosmos, this singular life form! That’s Johnny Apple seed. Game changer! Radical effect on this planet and I’d not be surprised. Otherwise constant alien life mismatch wandering past would sure mess with us. Pretzel twisting logic, best apply some of old Occams razor. Alien life created with various other biology devices come by infect our planet, chaos ensues! Again if life arrives thru’ panspermia, perilous cellular contamination results. Even if they come and walk among us they mess up the biology. Yokes like Ummagumma traversed but strayed faraway from us. Not wanting us keep up ‘with them Jones passing’, accelerated off with flying colours!
Aliens well know.
Otherwise Earth?
‘Planet Platypus’.
Don’t fit that bill.
Proponents of Designer to get it going, followed with dose of Darwinian evolution. Some advances benefit with a stitch in time nudging each other. Aliens not always be skulking/kidnapping and ‘probing’. Either we are all one ‘separated’ family, each Goldilocks planet in the Galaxy ‘seeded’ by same ~life to start. Well that’s profound and probable.
‘Reports’ of autopsies on Alien bodies.
Tell us about biology?
What is in Alien ‘cells’?
Simple to do.
Why not?
Rumours they’re cavorting on the Moon, let us know, such biology secrets to reveal!
Or call that bluff?!
Get it sorted
Come on!
Why only silence.
Only Fantasy!?
Put on our Big boy pants.
Beetles
“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down. But I can find no such case.” Charles Darwin from long ago, (must be obeyed?).
Don’t go be counting chickens. Perplexing example may defy Darwin rules. Try this on for size. How cantankerous yoke like Bombardier beetle exist? This ‘Bees knees’ beetle current cause célèbre. Stores two different chemicals in separate chambers, mixed together (add ‘catalyst’) boils to 100 degrees! Chemist Dr. Beetle presents! Noxious piping hot chemical spray generated, ejected aimed at unfortunate prey. Such fabulous beetles immune to their poison. That’s useful! Steamed arsenal shoots from their rear end, squirts dispatched fatal to enemies! Repeats whole shebang, rapid as a machine gun!
How you like them apples?
Say no more.
Experts to convolute.
Octopus
Not beast of fields, but under the sea. Created with 33,000 proteins, way more than us! Big brain, three hearts, eight arms, some at 18 feet length. Endangered squirt inky substance. Researchers have raised possibility of octopus eggs delivered by a meteor from another planet!
DNA like us, something to go on about !
Evidence for DNA life elsewhere?
The Galway Review 