> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218213634.htm
> 
> Experiments have shown how RNA strands can combine to form longer strands. - George's article describes short segments of RNA being fused under special conditions, that may have existed or never have existed in the ancient world. The researchers used already-formed RNA segments. Just getting those segments by chance from the inorganic ancient world is against stupendous odds. We are seeing intelligent design in action by the scientists.

Here's the latest on the "RNA World"
> 
> Researchers discover Remnant of an Ancient RNA World
> 
> A horse ran off and I couldn't complete my thought. The above headline is outright wishful thinking. Scientific discoveries can be very exact and very acceptable, but it is the interpretation of the implications that gets folks in trouble philosophically. If you wish to be an atheist, then the interpretation of the headline can support that point of view. If you are agnostic then you can wonder at the complexity, but not be sure. If you tend to theism, then it becomes a marvelous example of God's creation. Science is only science. The past can not be re-created, only possibly (with faith) approximated. Antony Flew kept an open mind and allowed his preexisting prejudices to be influenced. All I see here are minds cast in cement. And loose horses can get into all sorts of places they shouldn't go. They are accidents waiting to happen.

Here's the latest news. I just read it on the Richard Dawkins net, and thought I should share it here.
> 
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604140959.htm
> 
> It's a simulation of what a "protocell" might have been like. And it works, despite being much simpler than the more evolved cells that exist now. Looks like a great step towards explaining the early evolution of life. - I went to the article George suggested as a 'great step' noted above; from the article: "Szostak's team carefully analyzed vesicles comprised of different fatty acid molecules and identified particular features that made membranes more or less permeable to potential nutrient molecules. They found that, while large molecules such as strands of DNA or RNA could not pass through fatty acid membranes, the simple sugar molecules and individual nucleotides that make up larger nucleic acids easily crossed the membrane. - To further explore the function of a fatty acid cell membrane, the researchers used activated nucleotides they developed for this study that will copy a DNA template strand without needing the polymerase enzyme usually required for DNA replication. After placing template molecules inside fatty-acid vesicles and adding the activated nucleotides to the external environment, they found that additional DNA was formed within the vesicles, confirming that the nucleotide molecules were passing through the fatty-acid membranes." - Please note the enormous amount of intelligent design by the scientists. Just making some activated nucleotides involves strands of about 15-20 nucleotides, literally a very small RNA-like strand. Just having nature make such a strand is an enormous accomplishment, the odds against which are stupendous. - George's note to us is wonderful wishful thinking. Copying what nature has shown us doesn't really tell us how it happened, and in doing the copying we have to use the molecules nature gave us. We have no experimental findings to tell us how RNA started, how the complicated coded information arose. Using passive fatty acid micelles is one of the older unproven theories that has been around for many years. As the authors of the article point out, current living membranes are very different, using chemical pumps to get chemicals in and out of the cell. The authors, by using micelles, make the assumption that life 'had' to start simply. We don't know that.