God’s Crime Scene by J. Warner Wallace examines eight pieces of evidence that are found inside our universe. Reasons are given for the existence of each piece of evidence and that it is necessary to explain where this evidence came from.

What best explains the origin of life?

The life that we see on this planet is best explained by an intelligent creator.

The beauty of the world around us is largely due to life. We see life in the plants, animals, and in all of our fellow humans. Life is everywhere, but it isn’t simple. Life is extremely complex at the cellular level. First, carbon atoms need to form. Without them, life could not exist. Then there is the formation of amino acids and nucleotide bases. In order to form the DNA and RNA molecules, you need to have entirely right- or left-handed amino acids. These amino acids form together to create proteins which then create life. This process is extremely complex and has to come together in the correct order. DNA is formed from nucleotides and then instructs the formation of proteins. Without DNA, nothing would form. This system also breaks down if there are no carbon atoms or if there is an even mixture of right- and left-handed amino acids.

This problem gets even more complex. We have the equivalent of the chicken and the egg problem in the building blocks of life. Ribosome machines are required to create proteins. However, ribosome machines are also built of proteins. So, which came first? The ribosome machine to create proteins or the proteins needed to create the ribosome machine? This is a major problem for the naturalist.

So, where did life originate? Some have proposed that life started in the atmosphere, but scientists have since showed that the early atmosphere could not produce the amino acids necessary for life. Others say that life could have started in water, but this early primordial soup would not be able to control the distribution of right- and left-handed amino acids. Since no explanations on the earth have been shown to be functional ideas, some have suggested that life started in space. After life formed in space, it was transported to earth on a meteorite. However, this fails to account for the meteor entering the atmosphere at extreme temperatures, destroying all life. It also pushes back the problem one step and is unable to explain how life could form in space. Based on these failed reasons, and that fact that life doesn’t come from non-life, it is most reasonable to conclude that the life we see on earth was created by an intelligent being.

The following blog series comes from a paper I wrote for J. Warner Wallaceon his book, God’s Crime Scene. He has given me permission to post my summary of each chapter for this series. This is a short summary of the third chapter, not an exhaustive look at all of the possibilities. If you would like more information, you can purchase God’s Crime Scene here, visit his website, or email me and I will provide further resources.