So what, exactly, is life? 33 year old trumps Darwin. Or instead of "Trumps" he goes further, does more with and provides an interesting take on the old theory

If a glass can rearrange itself overtime to better protect itself from shattering.......?

"Now take England’s simulation of an opera singer who holds a crystal glass and sings at a certain pitch. Instead of shattering, England predicts that over time, the atoms will rearrange themselves to better absorb the energy the singer’s voice projects, essentially protecting the glass’s livelihood. So how’s a glass distinct from, say, a plankton-type organism that rearranges it self over several generations? Does that make glass a living organism?

Read more: The Man Who May One-Up Darwin | Rising Stars | OZY

http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/the-man-who-may-one-up-darwin/39217

Zapp Brannigan wrote:When that crystal glass learns to reproduce itself, then he will be onto something. Until then, that isn't even close to life.

Yeah, I'm not as smart as the guy who read Hawkins as a 7 year old, or went to Harvard, Stanford Rhodes and teaches at MIT, or you, but I think that's not quite his point.

Rocinante wrote:His point, if it has any merit, is lost in that rambling error filled mess.

You found it hard to read too? He seems too smart.

Heat Miser wrote:Original headline says "may one-up Darwin". OP translates this to "33 year old trumps Darwin", as if it's actually happened when it hasn't. Not much to see here really.

so, you are saying Darwin is correct? You're implying that I believe Darwin to be all things correct. All I'm saying is that this guys "theory", in my opinion, will get a lot of attention. He's not done by any stretch, but he's peaked the interest of the academic community and has their attention. He has some papers under peer review and some leading scientists have raised an eyebrow.

I'm certainly not smart enough to figure out this stuff or to say this theory is the answer. If my headline implied that to you, I didn't mean it to.

Rocinante wrote:The idea is not contradictory at all with Darwin, btw. I just finally read about it.

It certainly does extend it, and makes you think further. Somebody already said itt that they'll wait till the crystal glass reproduces itself. I think survival is as interesting as reproduction. It's just an interesting thought.

Heat Miser wrote:

DWags wrote:

so, you are saying Darwin is correct? You're implying that I believe Darwin to be all things correct. All I'm saying is that this guys "theory", in my opinion, will get a lot of attention. He's not done by any stretch, but he's peaked the interest of the academic community and has their attention. He has some papers under peer review and some leading scientists have raised an eyebrow.

I'm certainly not smart enough to figure out this stuff or to say this theory is the answer. If my headline implied that to you, I didn't mean it to.

None of what you're saying here supports the thread title "33 year old trumps Darwin". It's like saying "Harbaugh trumps Dantonio". There's nothing to it. There may be someday. But at least not until he wins an actual game or two.

Rocinante wrote:The idea is not contradictory at all with Darwin, btw. I just finally read about it.

This.

I understand what you're saying. But what convinced you Darwin was correct? What did he know of DNA? Darwin's theory wasn't even a big deal for over a year after him and Wallace published it. We don't even know who wallace is. I find this stuff interesting is all, and this guy takes another look at Darwin's (and Wallaces') theory and applies other principles to it. .

If the word "trump" bothers you, so be it. Ignore that. He's not only using the theory, but "he may have discovered a theory that unifies molecular evolutionary biology, non-organic chemistry, and physics"

I understand if you think I used "trump" in the wrong light, but if he has blended those, and is proven to be true, I didn't know what else to use.

Rocinante wrote:How about "bolsters" or "compliments", or "provides a foundation for"?

Great. He went further. I'll save "did better" till his papers are accepted by peers and other egg heads.