Darwinian Biology Questioned; Missing “The Guiding Hand”
October 13, 2016
It has been said: “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” [The American Biology Teacher 1973] By that statement biologists imply the theory of Darwinian evolution has gaping holes in it but it’s all we’ve got.
Darwinian
biologists had their backs pressed to the wall when it was called to
their attention that the fossil record does not exhibit a clearly
progressive development of life forms. There were missing transitional
forms of life in the fossil record to show development into new species,
the so-called “missing links.”
To
explain that, biology came up with punctuated equilibrium – – that new
species appear out of nowhere due to rapid sporadic changes in DNA. [Got Questions] Neo-Darwinism moves evolution from the slow lane to the fast lane.
Slow versus fast evolution
Biologists
who embrace Darwinian evolution (slow progressive changes in life forms
over millions of years that yield new species) have difficulty
explaining themselves these days.
Readers
can view, in graphic form, how Darwinian evolutionists portray 6 million
years of human evolution (in just a 1-minute presentation). [YouTube]
Proposed mechanism of Darwinian evolution
The
only biological mechanism proposed for evolution is genetic, namely
gene mutations or abnormal rearrangements (mutations) of the nucleotides
that comprise the rungs on the DNA ladder. [Nature 1953; Evolution Berkeley]
Most
recently evolutionary biology proposes a “self-modifying, restructuring
of DNA within cells” to explain new species rather than the dated idea
of a “series of accidental genetic modifications.” [Biology June 8, 2015] Huh? The organism tells itself to restructure its own DNA?
A new/old explanation from Lamarck
Compare
the idea that gene mutations explain evolutionary changes in living
organisms to produce new species to the ability of a living organism to
respond to the environment and pass on altered characteristics (not
mutations) to the next generation (epigenetics). [Genetics Aug 2013]
This “new”
explanation is attributed to Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, a naturalist in the
1800s. Lamarckian evolution is now called a paradigm shift in
evolutionary biology as a reality rather than a theory.
Lamarckian
evolution has been demonstrated. A semi-starvation (calorie
restricted)-induced pattern of gene regulation in one generation, known
to double the lifespan of living organisms, increases lifespan in the
third generation! [Cell July 2014] Yes, the longevity is passed on to succeeding generations.
Unlike
slow millions of years Darwinian evolution, Lamarckian evolution has
been convincingly demonstrated in just a relatively short time span. [Biology Direct 2012]
Its
mechanism is epigenetics, not alterations in the structure of DNA but
rather dynamic changes in the protein-making properties of DNA called
epigenetics that is influenced by environmental factors (radiation,
temperature, nutrition) which is transferred to the next generation via
something called epigenetic imprinting.
When genes make proteins (gene expression) or cease making proteins (gene silencing), more immediate changes can be observed.
The Galapagos Islands observations
This must
be what Charles Darwin observed when he visited the Galapagos Islands
and drew eloquent sketches of bird beaks that changed shape in just a
short period of time in order to adapt to the seasonal changes in the
size of seeds the birds ate. In other words, Darwin couldn’t have
observed changes that take millions of years.
However,
followers of Darwin who also observe rapid changes in bird beaks
nonsensically explain these changes are due to inter-generation
breeding. [National Geographic
2015] But Darwin observed these changes with his own eyes within a
2-month period of time when he visited the Galapagos, not over many
generations.
Darwinian and Lamarckian evolution now a blur
Biologists now concede that: “epigenetic changes correlate with the evolutionary history of Darwin’s finches.” [Genome Biology & Evolution July 24, 2014]
The difference between so-called neo-Darwinian evolution and Lamarckian evolution may now be a blur. [Genome Biology Evolution 2015; Biology Direct2009]
The major
difference between Darwinian evolution and Lamarckian evolution is
speed, something biologists for some reason ignore. Darwinian evolution
is slow – millions of years. Lamarckian evolution is fast, within the
existing generation and passed on to immediate succeeding generations.
No,
monkeys don’t evolve into humans overnight because of environmental
factors via epigenetics. However, characteristics of living species can
be transferred without any changes in the sequential pattern of
nucleotides in the DNA ladder. But less than 3% of research papers in
comparative biology mention epigenetics. [Journal Experimental Biology March 1, 2014] That is because epigenetics trumps the illusory Darwinian dogma of biological change.
Microbial evolution
Almost
comically, the field of evolutionary biology explains itself away. It
uses rapidly mutating bacteria and viruses to explain biological
change. If you would like to watch a video, you can see the
tuberculosis mycobacterium mutate so rapidly it becomes fully resistant
to antibiotics in just 11 days. [YouTube.com] This is posed as an example of evolution.
But wait a
minute, I thought Darwinian evolution was slow, very slow – millions of
years. And maybe we have a new strain of bacteria, but it is still a
bacterium, it has not evolved into an elephant.
Microbial
evolution represents what is called horizontal evolution. No new
species are formed, just variants of the same organism. [Frontiers Cellular Infection in Microbiology Sept 2012]
Mendelian evolution
There
is another model to explain change in biology. Gregor Mendel’s
experiments that showed the cross-breeding of a red flower with a white
flower can produce a pink flower in succeeding generations. [Mendel’s Genetics] Mendelian genetics explains variation, not new species.
Epigenetic imprinting
iological
changes in response environmental factors represent rapid adaptation
that can be transferred to succeeding generations via a
biological phenomenon known as epigenetic imprinting. Epigenetic
imprinting largely takes place at the beginning of life and generally
stays put in the organism. [Learn Genetics] However, this genetic programming is not locked in. Genes can also be reprogrammed later in life via epigenetics. [Reviews Endocrine Metabolic Disorders June 2007]
Epigenetics trumps genetics
This
author has received reports of inherited color blindness, Leber’s
hereditary optic nerve disease and dyslexia being reversed by taking a
red wine pill (resveratrol), a molecular mimic of a calorie restricted
diet. News of this is what is being suppressed in biology.
The dead end of personalized medicine
Instead we
have the idiotic idea of personalized medicine where the genetic makeup
(sequencing of nucleotides and mutations in the DNA ladder) is proposed
as a way to conquer disease. But only ~2% of disease is genetically
inherited. Much of this congenital disease is represented by single
gene mutations and storage disorders (buildup of cellular debris such as
cholesterol in arteries, beta amyloid in the brain, lipofuscin in the
retina).
Small molecules produce profound changes
Most
chronic disease is epigenetic, diet influences and involved networks of
hundreds of genes. Small molecules that can enter the genetic machinery
of living cells, like those found in grapes, apples, tea leaves and
spices (resveratrol, quercetin, catechin, turmeric/curcumin) are said to
be “promiscuous” and exert broad action over many genes. Resveratrol
(res-vair-ah-trol) is unusually promiscuous, that is, switches hundreds
of genes. [Annals New York Academy Science
Jan 2011] Combination of small natural molecules has been shown to
exert synergistic rather than just additive biologic action. [Phytomedicine 2012; Planta Medica 2012; Translational Oncology 2008]
The most
profound demonstration of molecular synergism on record was demonstrated
when a matrix of combined small molecules (resveratrol, quercetin, rice
bran — Longevinex®)
was shown to significantly alter 1711 (9-fold more) genes compared to
just 225 genes by resveratrol alone and 198 by calorie restriction in
just 12-weeks in the animal lab. [Experimental Gerontology 2008]
Fooling school kids
The
problem is what kids are being taught about the origins of life in
public school is archaic, is originally based upon simplistic
observations by Charles Darwin a century ago. Darwin was a naturalist
who had a bone to pick with the Biblical account of creation. Darwin’s
idea of evolution was not based on any scientific experiments, just his
drawings or bird beaks, with new species later (1953, with the discovery
of DNA) mistakenly attributed to gene mutations, when we now know that
epigenetic gene imprinting and Mendelian genetics explain biological
inheritance via adaptation and variation.
So far, no
mechanism for new species, whether gradual over millions of years
(Darwinian evolution) or rapidly appearing sporadic new species, have
been presented.
CRISPR: controlled evolution
Oh, there
is CRISPR, which is the intentional replacement of unwanted genes with
those more to our liking, which can now be used to overcome single-gene
mutation-induced diseases like Huntington’s disease and Down’s
syndrome. Some biologists now ask why evolution needs to be understood
when it can now be humanly controlled. [Schaecter Blog] Biologists now say they can hijack evolution. [Statnews.com] Biologists say, while gene mutations produce diseases, CRISPR can produce favorable mutations. [Mediceine Sciences 2016] In other words, man can now direct evolution (play God).
Missing: the “guiding hand”
Which begs this question: did a “guiding hand” insert different genes like CRISP does to produce different species?
Evolutionary
biologists warn of this kind of thinking since they believe adaptation
and design are not driven by an “invisible power of life.” [Trends in Ecology & Evolution Oct 2015]
But
even in the Darwinian model of evolution, something is directing the
progressive development of life over millions of years. So far, modern
biology has explained horizontal changes in living organisms – different
varieties and adaptations. New species go unexplained.
There
is no evidence for vertical evolution from an ape-like common ancestor
to a human being, despite this being depicted in many cartoon-like
drawings in biology textbooks.
What
school kids are being taught today about the origins of life and man
are not what biologists are talking about in the lab. Darwinian
evolution is being questioned and adaptive changes via Lamarckian
evolution (epigenetics) are being embraced. But again, epigenetics does
not explain any progression from ape to man or this would be observable
in the laboratory today.
We don’t know
Why
can’t scientists just say “we don’t know” rather than ridiculing
creationists who at least have an explanation for the origin of man
(Adam & Eve). Creation cannot be examined in a lab dish because it,
by definition, required the hand of God who breathed life into a human
being. Unless some biologist can summon God into the laboratory, that
experiment cannot be repeated. ©2016 Bill Sardi, Knowledge of Health
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