The word “magic” in the headline is used, of course, sardonically. For our ample discussion and criticism to date of Lee Cronin’s “Assembly Theory,” see here.
Now Cronin is back with an open-access article at the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, “Mapping Evolution of Molecules Across Biochemistry with Assembly Theory.”
“Quantifying Evolutionary Selection”
According to the Abstract:
Evolution is often understood through genetic mutations driving changes in an organism’s fitness, but there is potential to extend this understanding beyond the genetics. We propose that natural products ─ complex molecules central to Earth’s biochemistry ─ can be used to uncover evolutionary mechanisms beyond genes. By applying assembly theory (AT), which views selection as a process not limited to biological systems, we can map and measure evolutionary forces in these molecules. AT enables the exploration of the assembly space of natural products, demonstrating how the principles of evolution apply to these complex chemical structures, selecting vastly improbable and complex molecules from a vast space of possibilities. By comparing natural products with a broader molecular database, we can assess the degree of evolutionary contingency, providing insight into how molecular novelty emerges and persists. This approach not only quantifies evolutionary selection at the molecular level but also offers a new avenue for drug discovery by exploring the molecular assembly spaces of natural products. Our method provides a fresh perspective on measuring the evolutionary processes both shaping and being read out by the molecular imprint of selection.
A Three-Year Challenge
Back in 2024, following their debate at Harvard, Rice University chemist James Tour offered Dr. Cronin a three-year challenge. Brian Miller wrote about it here:
If Cronin can demonstrate that Assembly Theory provides any insight into life’s origin, Tour pledged to remove all his videos critiquing origins research and never publicly discuss the topic again.
As the three-year clock goes on ticking, we dream of a private meeting in a pleasant location, away from cameras and audiences (and therefore strictly off-the-record) where Lee Cronin, Sara Walker, and other members of the Assembly Theory group could interact with theorists of intelligent design. A long weekend, good food and drink, no recordings, no grandstanding. Just dealing with magical words like “selection.”
Cronin and Walker know what is wrong with origin-of-life research. They’re just afraid of what may be right.