Thanks for your answers Bill. That was surprising to me and it leads to another question. Since DNA is the program instructions for all organic life from a flea to an elephant or a diatom, and a diatom's valve is made up of inorganic material, then it would seem to follow that inorganic material can be programmable by DNA as long as it has organic help. Or in the case of the diatom valve made of silica sand (glass) having the DNA instructions to reproduce itself. That would seem to imply some kind of life to inorganic material. So perhaps silica instructed by DNA could produce a glass bottle. Where am I going wrong in my thinking?
