  Darwin's hypothesis that all extant life forms are descendants of a last
common ancestor cell and diversification of life forms results from gradual
mutation plus natural selection represents a mainstream view that has
influenced biology and even society for over a century. However, this Darwinian
view on life is contradicted by many observations and lacks a plausible
physico-chemical explanation. Strong evidence suggests that the common ancestor
cell hypothesis is the most fundamental flaw of Darwinism. By contrast, a
totally different perspective on origin and evolution of life claims that
cellular life forms were descendants of already diversified acellular life
forms. Independently originated life forms evolve largely in some parallel ways
even though they also interact with each other. Some evolutionary "gaps"
naturally exist among evolutionary lines. Similarity may not be the only result
of phylogenetic inheritance but may be a result of a convergent mechanism of
origin and evolution. Evolution is not a random process but follows some basic
physico-chemical principles as a result of the interplay of both energy and
entropy on matter.
