Proof That God Created The Protein

Is 10¹⁶⁴ Really A Reliable Estimate?

Deriving this number started with Dr. Douglas Axe, Professor of Molecular Biology at Biola University and a UC Berkeley, Caltech and Cambridge trained researcher who’s work has been published in many scientific journals and books.  In his book, Undeniable; How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life Is Designed, Axe describes his extensive research and experimentation with proteins.

Specifically, Axe researched the correspondence between amino acid chains and their ability to fold into 3 dimensional shapes so they can perform a specific function.  Based on his experiments with a relatively simple, 150 amino acid protein found in bacteria, Axe calculated that the ratio of amino acid chains that fold into functional proteins compared to the total number of possible chains is 1 in 10⁷⁷.  In other words, the probability of creating an amino acid chain, by accident, that can fold into a productive protein is 1 chance in 10⁷⁷ – implying that functional proteins would be inconceivably rare if they were created solely by accident.  Axe has since refined that number in subsequent research to 10⁷⁴.

Dr. Stephen Meyer then combined this number with two other known characteristics of proteins.  Dr. Meyer is also a Cambridge trained researcher, Director of the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute and a renowned author and speaker.  In his book, Signature In The Cell; DNA And The Evidence For Intelligent Design, Dr. Meyer discusses these two other characteristics:

• In chemistry, atoms and other elements join and stay together with a “bond”.  There are several types of bonds but in all proteins, for some reason, amino acids only bind together with one type – the peptide bond.  However, when amino acids are mixed in a test tube and allowed to interact freely, they form both peptide and non-peptide bonds and do so in roughly equal amounts.  Thus, the probability of two amino acids joining together with a peptide bond is roughly 50-50.  So, skipping the math, the probability of creating a protein by accident using a string of 150 amino acids joined together using only peptide bonds is one chance in 10⁴⁵
• The other characteristic is equally odd.  In nature, all amino acids are created in two forms – mirror images of each other.  There’s a “right-handed” or “D-form” version and there’s a “left-handed” or “L-form” version, both occurring in roughly equal amounts.  Again, for whatever reason, viable, functioning proteins are made of “left-handed” amino acids only.  Similar to the peptide bond discussion above, the probability of starting a string with two left-handed/L-form amino acids is roughly 50-50.  So, again skipping the math, the probability of creating a protein by accident using a string of 150 left-handed amino acids is one chance in 10⁴⁵

According to Meyer, combining all three of these probabilities leads to the above mentioned probability that creating a functioning protein by accident is one chance in 10¹⁶⁴

In his book, Meyer also reminds us, for reference, that there are approximately 10⁶⁵ atoms in the universe and 10⁸⁰ corresponding protons, neutrons and electrons.

More Conclusions From The Video

• In the 4.6B years since the earth was formed, this ideal hypothetical simulation would create 10⁵⁸ chains – none of which are properly configured to fold into a protein
  • No where near enough chances to overcome one chance in 10¹⁶⁴
  • It’s impossible for a single protein to be created by chance during the entire existence of the earth even in these crazy ideal conditions which never existed
• How much time would it take in those conditions?
• More time than it would take an amoeba, moving one foot per year, to traverse the entire known universe and back enough times to carry every atom in the universe one at a time to the other side of the universe and back and do that 56 million times!
  • All that time would be needed to overcome the probability of creating one protein by accident in that impossibly ideal environment
• In other words, it’s impossible to create a simple protein by accident!
• But what if…?  What if we got lucky and overcame to odds?  Would we have life?
  • No, we’d have just one lone protein
  • A typical cell has over 300 proteins
• And what about all the other components in the cell including all the molecular machines, all operating together at the right place at the right time within a cell?
• It’s impossible for all this to be created by chance over any amount of time

More Commentary On Creating Just One Protein By Chance

Science has found no physics, chemistry, biology or any other shred of evidence that can explain the origin of even one protein comprised of a simple chain of amino acids – despite 50 years of trying.  And that’s for just one protein.

What about the other 299 proteins in a cell that Paul Nelson mentions near the end of the video?  In Signature In The Cell, Meyer uses a more conservative average of 250 proteins per cell.  He calculates the overall probability of creating the amino acid chains for those 250 proteins within a cell by accident is one chance in 10^41,000.  Again, completely impossible.

Some might say, “it’s wasn’t by random chance; it was done by natural selection”.  But this is fallacious.  By definition, natural selection is based on random variations or mutations.  Blind chemicals have no desired outcomes to aim at like intelligent agents (e.g., scientists and researchers) do; all they can do is mutate randomly – by chance.  Furthermore, blind chemicals have no way of knowing whether a mutation is helpful, harmful or irrelevant so all options are available at all times.  Finally, there are no facts nor evidence to justify a claim that short proteins grew into the longer proteins we see today and implicitly in the fossil record.  In fact, there are many reasons already cited in other articles here proving this didn’t happen.  Also, as you saw in all the above videos, very advanced proteins are needed to perform all the very basic functions of every cell in every living organism.  If shorter ones could do the job then longer ones would not be needed and would not be present in the cell.

Why So Focused On The Protein?

We focus on proteins because they are the unsung yet critical building blocks for micro machines, enzymes and other components that perform the most important functions within every cell in every living organism.  And we already know how important cells are to every organism.

Proteins are very critical components within every cell yet science has found no way to explain how incredibly complex strings of amino acids were originally created.

More importantly, proteins show the hallmarks of design by God.  Recall from the video that amino acids are arranged in a very specific, finely tuned manner much like letters are arranged to create words and sentences. Just as it’s impossible to create a useful protein of 150 amino acids by accident, it’s also impossible to create a meaningful sentence of 150 letters and spaces by accident; the probability is roughly one chance in 10²¹⁴.

We are 100% sure that, when we see a meaningful sentence of 150 letters and spaces, it’s a fact some intelligent person created that sentence.  100% sure of that fact!

We can be equally 100% sure that, when we see even one simple protein comprised of 150 amino acids arranged in a very specific, finely tuned manner, it’s a fact some intelligence being created that protein.  100% sure of that fact!

Only God is capable of creating such finely tuned chains of amino acids in 300 different configurations each performing a specific and important function within a cell at a microscopic level!

It’s irrefutable: God created the microscopic amino acid chains found in all proteins in all cells in all living organisms!  It’s a fact.