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Is mankind a central product of the universe? Or merely an
accident fit to survive? The exploding discoveries of biology in the past half
century could radically change the scientific answer to this debate. In
Nature's Destiny, Michael Denton marshals a stunning range of biological,
chemical, and physical evidence to answer systematically a simple question: Could
life elsewhere in the universe be significantly different from life on Earth?
Must it rely on carbon, water, DNA, amino acids, and proteins? Could there be
an alternative to DNA, or could DNA be constructed out of different components?
Could cells be designed differently? From these building blocks he dares to ask
the boldest of questions: Is it possible there are life forms radically different
from those realized during the course of evolution on Earth? And even: Is a Homo
sapiens-like the only possible highly intelligent species, given the laws
of biology that exist throughout the universe? The stunning
answer to his last question is yes. Life is highly constrained by the laws
of nature. If, for example, the ratio between strong and weak chemical bonds had
not been precisely what it is, if the thermal properties of water were not precisely
what they are, if the atmosphere of the Earth had not had just the right properties
to filter out harmful radiation, then a flourishing biosphere such as exists on
Earth would be impossible. For life to develop beyond the most primitive stage
hinted at by the famous Mars fossils requires an earthlike planet, with earthlike
atmosphere and oceans. Over the past twenty years, such
physicists as Freeman Dyson, Fred Hoyle, Martin Rees, and Paul Davies have argued
that the universe is fine-tuned for carbon-based life. Now, Michael Denton extends
their argument all the way from the carbon atom to advanced and complex life forms
closely resembling ourselves, showing that our biosphere is central to nature's
destiny. Though we may not have six-fingered cousins elsewhere, the laws of nature
are tuned to reach an endpoint in mankind. Michael
J. Denton is the Senior Research Fellow in Human Molecular Genetics at the University
of Otago in New Zealand, where he has been since 1990. He received his medical
degree from Bristol University in 1969 and a Ph.D. in developmental biology from
King's College, London, in 1974. Since 1984 his main research interest has been
the genetics of human retinal disease. He has written or co-authored over seventy
articles in professional journals and one previous book, Evolution: A Theory
in Crisis (1984). |
