According to proponents of creationism and intelligent design, are we clueless about the origin of life? James Tour vs. Dave Farina

Dr. James Tour recently uploaded a video titled [Dr. James Tour vs Dave Farina | Are we clueless about the origin of life? #abiogenesis](https://youtu.be/pxEWXGSIpAI) . The description in the video says: > Join us for an exciting debate between Dr James Tour and Dave Farina > on The Science of Abiogenesis. This in-person event will take place on > Fri May 19 at 7:00 PM CST in Keck Hall 100, Houston, TX and will be > streamed LIVE on YouTube! > > Dr. James Tour is a world-renowned scientist and professor of > chemistry at Rice University. He will be presenting evidence that he > believes demonstrate huge problems and hype in the origin of life > field. Dave Farina is a prominent atheist and Youtuber who will argue > for the theory of abiogenesis, the idea that life arose from > non-living matter through natural processes. > > Join us Friday May 19 at 7PM CT at Rice University or ONLINE to for > this highly anticipated event! > > See more at tourvsfarina.com This in-person debate was arranged in an attempt to settle an online discussion that has already been going on for a while between the two, through a series of video publications in which they supposedly rebut, expose and debunk one another. For example, on his YouTube channel [Professor Dave Explains](https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessorDaveExplains) , Dave has posted videos such as: - [Elucidating the Agenda of James Tour: A Defense of Abiogenesis](https://youtu.be/SixyZ7DkSjA) - [Response to James Tour: 700 Papers and Still Clueless (Part 1 of 2)](https://youtu.be/ghJGnMwRHCs) - [Debunking James Tour’s Latest Pathetic Series (Part 1 of 4)](https://youtu.be/sYfOA5FR6gg) Likewise, James has uploaded content such as: - [Dave Farina’s “Experts” completely DEBUNKED. The Religion of Prebiotic Soup - Lee Cronin Part 01](https://youtu.be/4rwPi1miWu4) - [Addressing Abiogenesis: Season 02](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLILWudw_84t22BWvWsoXCmaXNllbfJ2h7) - [Addressing Abiogenesis: Season 1](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLILWudw_84t2THBvJZFyuLA0qvxwrIBDr) As an outside observer and without any expertise in these topics, my impression and summary of the debate is the following: - Dave cited an overwhelming amount of research papers and claimed that these papers are evidence that we are NOT clueless, and that progress is clearly being made in origin of life (OOL) research. - James claimed that all these papers have titles that are hyped, and that if you read them and dig into the details and actual data being presented, they all come up short and lacking, and therefore OOL research is still clueless. From the perspective of knowledgeable supporters of creationism and intelligent design: - Does Dave Farina have a point when he points to a tremendous amount of OOL research publications that seem to indicate that we are NOT clueless? - Is James Tour correct when he dismisses all these publications as "hyped"? - What are examples of major (and perhaps unsurmountable) obstacles that OOL research is facing right now?