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://shorturl.at/O94ac

‘LIFE LINE’

By Brian O’Dowd

——–

‘Pascal’s Wager’

(Wikipedia)

“Rational person should adopt lifestyle consistent with the existence of God, and should strive to believe in God.”

Beginning.  Most under estimated question ‘from where did Earth’s earliest bug get life, pass it to us?’   What do atheists think ‘life’ is?   What do rest of us wonder?  Answer and we’re half way home.  All arrive with customary Nursery rear slap, ‘off you go toddler get on with it.  Keep your nose clean.  Sure you’ll be grand altogether.’

Only with greatest respect.

Curious why still have Atheist?

Need believe crazy stuff to be Disbeliever.  

Believe in miracles more than believers.

They wandered into the weeds.

Got off on two wrong feet,

More discovered getting uneasy.

Will they ever be extinct?

 

God does not work in mysterious ways.  We are not result of randomness.  Privileged to be alive.  Doubt Universe freewheeling ‘laissez faire’, Physics sure of their contribution, Biology has sticky wickets.  As Nature follows orders, Life origin explanations mostly trite.  Life taken for granted, while far from understandable.  Takes lot of conceiving.  Galaxy life created once then seeded to find root on selected planets.  Virgin Earth impregnated by cells falling from blue skies, sustained by Nature’s nutrients.  Supporting most complex object in Universe fertilized egg cells.   Life thrives only on Goldilock planets, having narrow survival parameters.  Random DNA double helix prior to cells an absurdity!  What on earth was nature doing making cell free ladders?  Top notch biology books contain abundant evidence of Designer’s hand.   Scant few Biologists remain diehard atheists whatever may admit.  In their soul that sturdy fence once sat when young and foolish now riddled by cracks.   DNA life created by ‘Awesome’ Intelligence lies beyond our ken, otherwise only crickets.  Perhaps ‘knowing’ atheists down trodden reduced to hemming hawing, era of careless conclusions ending.  When early they clubbed together more unknown, concocted strident opinions too soon!  Not aged well, tide faster than Bay of Fundy has turned.  Vacuous origin of life accounts make zero sense today, from those ‘magical seabed hydrothermal hot black smoker fissures’.  Which smart rock/water/air surfaced that notion?   Various scenarios!  Life by happenstance on earth, egged on by Nature.   On going haphazard process?  Why not?  Making various life forms creates haywire connections.  We don’t observe that.  Here DNA life using identical DNA codes, penguins to polar bears, all rest in between ‘One family!  Such codes select which amino acids from choice of 21, added in protein synthesis.   Believe coding DNA emerged from ‘Nature’ is foolhardy over reach.  Inherent coding ability of DNA represents Creative deliberate mind, for flesh and blood cells.  What more needed to believe?

Not for dear Pinocchio?

Have you seen these vents?  Chimney burning coal, nothing created inside that mess.  DNA ladders?  Our lives emerged from smoky vents?  Do not think so.  ‘Motivation’ never addressed from deep sea encounters.  Such belief more holes than shot up Dart boards, from pubs in Dartford.   

Want to know a secret?

I believe Ireland has no Leprechauns.

Planet Earth having loads on it’s plate, volcanoes, earthquakes, space rocks biting chunks, tsunamis.  

 

Life Purpose? If Victorian science stumbled upon ‘DNA coding’ this would be different world.  In ‘sophisticated’ 1960’s when discovered no earth shattering headlines, likely busy with Politicians and Royal Weddings.   ‘Life’ Universe Jewel, left to own devices does not occur by chance.  Milky Way loaded with planets suitable for life, early days with 160 Goldilock planets identified, estimate millions yet to reveal.  Caveat need having protective Solar system.   Fortunate Earth’s location guarded by our Gas giants sucking up hazards.  Observed hulking Jupiter mopping stray rocks, amazing pictures when ‘Shoemaker’ comet and planet collided in 1994.  Another day at the office for sturdy Jupiter!  Comet met it’s final match.  How creativity result from random bug?  Eels in water generate electric pulse to kill prey, bug life incorporate notion of Electricity.  We took our fat time, Luigi Galvani’s (1780) big jump discovering Frog leg ‘animal electricity’.  Many animals dispense toxins, we are fearful of spider bite, snakes and spikey walrus tusks.   Granted vital bees for pollination, termites digesting dead wood, ants beneficial for soil, each step setting stage for us!  How does this happen?  They dug up ‘Antikythera Mechanism’ from Mediterranean mud, device obvious crafted with motivation.   No doubt had it’s Creator.  Without that ship getting wrecked, by now we’d be miles ahead.  Physics aware our Creator is Conservative, Universe gravity and stars consistent.  Makes sense entire Galaxy life DNA based, demonstrated qualities beautiful flora and fauna.  Versatile no need for change, no point having every planet brewing homemade ‘life’.  When confirmed ‘that sets cat among pigeons’, doubting Thomas in pews repenting.  Every Goldilock planet seeded by rocks containing DNA flying about. Avoids Aliens contaminating Homesteads with weird ‘customized’ biology.  Extraterrestrial rocky visitor Oumuamua passed, spying for what who knows?  No more ‘rock landed in Arctic’ containing amino acids, ‘contributes to origin of life’.  Does not, at most supports nurturing existing cell life.   Come on!  Much as batteries herald smart phones.  Can we move on from those claims? 

By mercy of God.

Inert rocks, air and water did not declare wait ‘biology is missing’!   Today’s cell immense complexity secrets being unravelled slow but constant.  Hard fought steps moving forward with miles to go.  Turbo charged after human genome revealed, also Dr. Kary Mullis invented PCR in 1983.   Immense knowledge gained take us closer to mind of our Creator.  Not reached peak Mount Everest ability, maybe heading first Camp site on the hill.  Despite Biology libraries stacked to the hilt, understanding nibbles ‘Life’s’ edges.  Expect to encounter lines in the sand, Designer not needing fussy minds knowing all.  Sparse clues about consciousness may involve quantum inputs.  Designer free cell decided for neuro-abilities need to harness quantum worlds?

Souls out of our reach.

Tolerate Voids in understanding.

Lives confined to cell nuts and bolts.

Some not for you?

 

Life in Galaxy.  We are composed with many elements forged from furnace of Stars, they do cooking.  Such life essential elements include phosphorous, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur and Iron.  Interconnected Physics, Chemistry, Biology meld together.  Such chances come by chance?  Come on, slam dunk how to create a living breathing Universe!  Hand in glove!  Such revelation proper hits nail on the head!  Perfect plan made in Heaven.  Conclusive steps, building life ladders are essential.  

Can you wrap minds round this?

‘Tis one after the other.

What is it you will not comprehend?

Galaxy teeming with life producing many civilizations.  Our ‘Milky’ 100,000 light years across.  Von Neumann strategy envisions self-replicating machines jumping from star system to star system.  Each stop builds copies of itself, estimate could colonize Galaxy in few million years.  Seems farfetched?  Worked for the bugs.  Microscopes provide enhanced images of amazing cellular events, also know run by bio-electricity!  What flesh and blood achieves with brain no rare earth metal needed.  Adults have 60% water in their bodies, new born babies 80%.   Understanding why we exist on watery planet.  For all our faults we’ve core of goodness, despite numerous bad apples.  Sometimes monsters in charge on the planet but optimistic fewer than before?  Live, learn what we are tasked with, maybe Galaxy pioneers our endeavour.  Each generation plying it’s trade.  That rock took out dinosaurs never diverted, then we got our shot.  How are we doing?  Realise we better behave.    

Live by Grace of God. 

 

Next up. Begs bare bone question, ‘from whence comes inexplicable concept of Life?’.  We ‘being alive’, should know sumeth profound!   Most aspects of our Creator unknowable, pondered if dinosaurs end avoidable?  Or Harbinger?   Many times we’d try patience of a saint.   Galling Life’s creation described mere ‘fluke’ accident.  Yet accept Michelangelo at 24 years created ‘PIETA’, not crafted by ocean waves.  Whatever we travel our life ride.  That’s a trip!  Don’t know where we came from, final destination unknown, departure time unknown.  Obviously Big Bang Universe created having life in mind, cooled down billion year later, union of Star system with Life.  Oldest fossils located in Greenland, dated from 3.7 billion years.   Plied with ‘knowledge’ first bugs constructed fighting for us.  While human cell’s origin relegated by many to extraordinary ‘chancy serendipity’.  I’ll take a run at that again.  Sophisticated DNA coding abilities puts kibosh on random life sprouting up all about. 

Otherwise what?

Not accurate describe ‘Life’ as ‘miracle’.  Miracle is changing water to wine, yet ‘doable’ with H2O and CO2 ingredients in a barrel, convert to alcohol C2H5OH.  Advanced chemistry, ‘only’ with rearranging, quality as ‘bonus’.  Would our Creator wait for sprouts au naturel on our blue planet?  Call me doubter Thomas.  At best risk some stray gobbledygook taking over like bad weeds.   Biology needs life’s infusion, process beyond our belief.  No piece of cake, but having already presented a ginormous Universe?  Empty but eager standing by for the guests.  Humans icing on that cake, dinosaurs as marzipan.   Human diligence revealing annihilation of dinosaurs enlightening.  Dino went, flash of devastation, fossils displayed in Museum halls.  Perhaps for dumping too much future fossil fuel all about.  Needs attention, ponder why rock not deflected as could have been?  Tougher when NEXT lot take over.  Realize we squandered, depleted planet resources, left covered in plastic.  Did we need balloons?  Really?  We were right shower altogether.  Still always have pyramids to go on about.  Meanwhile armed with microscopes, gizmos dissecting cellular innards, ‘what on Earth is life for’, not yet leaping out?  Not brave wondering if religions cause confusion.  Bugs started planet life, direct line of descendants enabled Armstrong and Aldrin landing at Tranquility Base.  Trek for humans 600,000 years, cave fires to Saturn rockets.  It was Bug life they left behind on a lifeless moon.   Night and day serve Nature’s bailiwick, stoic silence concerning before or afters, provide provisions for life does not stray into unkept territory when existence granted or taken away.   Minds develop from day one, go rogue or be good.  Pray Creator and Religion seeing eye to eye.  Religions preach ‘meaning of life’, Nature cannot not but obey.   Religion declares having Ten Commandments control behaviours.  Religion serves as God’s Earthly Police service, supervision needed.  Also having Garda Siochana and Confessions.  Religion warns will be judged ‘Good or Bad’, where Nature is mute.  When up above they’ll have the films.  ‘How I got by on this planet.’  Overall ordinary rascal even when hormones raging.  Hoping Purgatory territory, appreciating middle road option.  Fair enough getting second chance.  Unless St. Kevin by shores of Glen Da Lough, ‘being good’ complicated point of view.  Easier for saintly, but Wicklow has fine Glen women leads us into temptation, when they whisper up on that Feather bed grassland.  Wake in love with County and wild Birds.  Having those memories how I sleep at night.  ‘David’ heart of stone no life since crafted in 1504.   Sure take the lad one night on Feather bed lie with local Coileen, then off back to Florence with his smile.  When will and desire had their difference.   ‘They’ have to be reasonable, many aspects of Life not covered by religious dogma.

Remember!

Who so ever created once barren Universe filled with stars, infused with life.

Gift of Life surest proof we have of our Creator.

Life emerging solo from blue ocean does not wash.  

Prefer obtaining ‘my being’ from our Creator.

Not random brew with ‘home-made’ bug.

If cobbled together how does it have life?  

Produce plain inbred hog wash.

More to this life than that.

 

Best Guess.  Our fleshy bits require life to operate, do not confuse Soul and electricity.  One generated by Hydro waterfalls.  Other not.  ‘Life’s Origin’ answers need leap over unknowns.

‘One’.  Universe nuts and bolts appeared with ‘Big Bang’.

‘Two’.  Origin bugs no run of mill yokes, ensure Earth not be ‘stick in the mud’. 

Sprigs of life followed here and there as planned!  Life from cells transmitted to us.  Early life spectacularly complex, once unicellular inflated now each of us 36 trillion cells, useful for thinking and moving about.  Armed with 78 organs.  First cell incarnation reveal Designer’s ‘motivation’, cells potential unlimited ability loaded by ‘ambition’ filled with information manifested by today’s incredible world.  Look at us, made numerous wheels and wings useful, fishing in trawlers, wear leather boots and fur coats, have face lift, wear toupe, sing out of key with audio tune.  Buildings scrape skies if they want.  Dig for useful stuff in caves, not just gold and oil.  Sleep in bed on planes, when their washroom once bee’s knees.  Roads built going both ways.  Invent stuff not good as old stuff, search ‘listen to music’.  Amazed so few have ability skills creating computers and ‘magic’ phones.  Most (nearly all) of us not foggiest how they work.  Perilous!  Such genius folk must never travel in same bus, with calamity back to typewriters.  Even had our wireless wonders!  Back in the day loads on East coast, BBC, UTV before RTE.   Dad’s Army, London Palladium, TOTPOPs, Steptoe, ‘Are you being served?’  Stacks more.  Delivered around briquette fire, one flimsy aerial on the roof.  Signal captured!

Spirit from the sky.

Lucky we were!

That was Magic!

 

Home sweet home. Our Creator provides land and sea, some harbour doubts.  Planetary system favouring Earth, from messages relayed seems Solar System handy for DNA life style.  Not too hot not too cold

Help us making a go of it.

Parameters of life narrow, exemplified by triad, Venus, Earth, Mars.   Life is finicky, seeking temperate environment.  No life on hot Venus or cold Mars. Then our Goldilocks.  No other indigenous to butt heads with probe heading to ‘exciting’ Europa.  Fortunate having Earth near enough to our sun radiating heat.  Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago, cooled creating conditions suitable for life, provided wind for our backs.  Abundant fresh water, not as sulphuric acid clouds of Venus, that nightmare furnace of Worlds.   We’ve achieved close up of planets, magnificent work!  Mostly superb out of this world NASA.  We’ve Van Allen belts overhead protecting from cosmic rays.  Abject small Mars once with lakes, no magnetic field, sorry state of affairs exposed to the sun.  Appears Aliens passed unappealing Mars, left no calling card.  No ozone layer hammered by cosmic rays.  Gawked at ‘planet’ Pluto intriguing landscape and moon Charon.  ‘Eagles’ landing took wind from Russia sails.  Once led the way, Sputnick, Yuri Gagarin, moon dark side photo (1959), fabulous photos from Venus surface against major odds.  It’s only microscopic life that exists out in Solar System, interesting not seismic infers no robust life formed in billions of years that could survive on other planets.  No other planet displayed life ‘walking about’.  Noticeable no other more hardy strain infers no other strains of life for Venus or Mars.   Of planets and moons investigated only Earth caters for casual golf garments, others require elaborate Suits.  Who’d want to spend balance of years away?  Sci Fi movies somewhat drained curiosity.  We are armed with abilities step by step sorely needed to reveal our surroundings, many remain to be seen.  Our ‘Brains’ determined demanding ‘feed info’ we’ll nail it. 

 

Aliens. I’m annoyed by Aliens.   All this way no Hello?  Are ye shy or what.  Travel Galaxy then hide?  Arrogant behavior deny knowledge.  Not bothered by us small fry?  If same DNA sure you are welcome come into the parlour.  We are as family!  After all live with estimated 9 million other species on Earth.  

“Sickness or in health.”

Can Youse help?

Ignore creates bad impression.

 

Now appears to be a focus on them, reject the notion our ‘Knowing’ would collapse religious beliefs?  Lying low on Antarctic?  In the ocean?   Otherwise ensure not contaminate our biosphere.  Heaven’s sake!  Not believe many claims ‘they are here’.  Perhaps some shenanigans with pinch of salt, speaking about various types of Aliens.  So far only dark shadow spots flying about, like photos from years ago.  Never see details in UFO sightings.  Suspicions youse are on the moon incognito?  Some of the lunar photos obscuring content.  Strong impression not all that meets the eye.  Sure seen Movies with aliens expect anything.  Everything on Earth aimed at advancement, not lackadaisical.  Would youse land in Phoenix park so we can get a look at ye?   Give right boost altogether, ‘Cead Mile failte’ by Uachtarain for visitors.  Even with suits in case oxygen be death of you.  I mean not like snakes, then how steer the Saucer?  Alien presence on earth incredible event and incognito?  One thing you’ve significant intelligence.  If come from star light years away, profound knowledge of origin of life.  NASA told us water planet no land, deeper that our oceans million light years away.   Distances may be problem unless exotic ways of travel galaxy to galaxy.  Maybe dead alien bodies to study, sorry old age after all?  Grapevine say you travel one dimension to another, whatever that means.   

 

Life Shape. Hands down won Life for living, seized our day we wrote stuff down.  Humans create valued history, not only Kings and Queens.  Vatican Archives has 35,000 volumes of knowledge.   Fellow primates fat zero.   Although monkey’s excellent short-term memories, exceed us on ‘Chimp test’, remember numbers briefly shown on a screen.  We get excited when Elephants ‘paint’.  Gorillas/monkeys, collecting distant participant medal, I’d dismiss narrative of modest genetic differences, more to it than that.  Many species with limiting features, trunks, giant neck, four or no legs, living in the sea, feathers.  Delicate rabbit’s poor survival powers, Squirrels climb trees confusing dogs.  Canines never bother look up.  Get jealous of watching birds glide over land and sea, figured they had it good, resisted alterations.  Read one bird flew nonstop for 11 days, slept enroute.  Only us and rare birds sleep in the air.    

 

Space Living.  4000 people call Antarctica ‘home’, ‘Summer’, 1000 during winter.  Arctic 4 million inhabitants.  That is tough.  In space with cosmic radiation we’ll never be safe.  Dispatch robots for mining, return with goodies.  Concept of having our cities out there remote few brave souls, most shun that.  I’ve admiration for astronauts, but most of us no ambition to leave.  

 

End