a question i have is if you placed pasta in water and dropped the atmospheric pressure to make the water boil at room temperature, would it cook it in a similar manner at heating the water to boiling.
No more than if you pumped air into the water to make it bubble. Boiling has nothing to do with cooking. It's mainly used as a reference, since the temperature of boiling water will be constant under normal conditions.
The main use of cooking water is to kill off most bacteria, and although i have no doubt some would die, many more then with normal cooking would survive.
The portion in bold above is only partially accurate. For many cooked foods, like meat and some vegetables, the process of cooking makes the nutrients easier to digest, which increases the useable protein and carbohydrate content. Some trace nutrients are likewise more easily absorbed once the food is cooked. Still your basic point above, represented one of the major advantages associated with cooking.., killing some decay bacteria and even neutralizing some toxins.