On the Origin of Life, Computer Code, and Brownies
Review by Arthur G. Schwarz of the book “The DNA Question: Where Does the Information Come From?"
Review by Arthur G. Schwarz of the book “The DNA Question: Where Does the Information Come From?"
Laboratory abiogenesis is one of the ultimate goals of experimental biology. The most formidable barrier to create living matter in the laboratory is not the complexity of the cell, rather the absolute requirement for non-equilibrium steady state for all chemical reactions. Current synthetic biology technologies cannot yet produce cells, which harbor chemical systems in non-equilibrium steady-states.
What should a Christian’s view of natural selection be? Is it an invention? Is it nature’s great creative force? Is it good? Is it natural?
New study of neuronal diversification reveals the complexity of the gut's brain
Species may undergo minor adaptation through Darwinian processes, but this comes at the cost of genetic deterioration.
Darwin saw evolution as a slow and steady process with species gradually transforming into new species over long time. He thought that the fossil record should provide evidence for his theory. However, the needed evidence proved to be elusive.
Pseudogenes are important in gene regulation and other activities.
Changing a DNA sequence can affect a protein even if it does not change the amino acid sequence.
Claims of dinosaur DNA stir controversy
The theory of evolution has pervaded most fields of knowledge. Therefore, it is important to know the fundamentals of this theory in order to understand how this ideology influences interpretations of data from nature and differs from the biblical creation model of the origin of life forms.
Chromosomes regulate their own structure through their sequences of non-protein-coding DNA.
Fossilized crane fly eyes discovered to be calcified and have melanin
Cichlid fish in Nicaraguan lakes show evidence of rapid change.
An average of 70 mutations occur in each person.
The specific genes have been identified that cause a lizard to match the black rocks it lives on.
Humans have unique “developmental control genes” that distinguish them from chimpanzees and other animals
Is the genetic basis of loss of flight due to mutations in protein-coding genes or in regulatory genes?
Comparison of genomes of jellyfish and sea anemones highlights the importance of orphan genes in taxonomically close organisms.
Confirmation that fathers may sometimes pass mitochondrial DNA to their children violates the assumptions used to calculate the age of the most recent female common ancestor of all living humans. Published in Origins v. 21, n. 2.
In recent decades, epigenetics has been shown to be a promising field of research, since it describes changes in inheritance patterns that do not involve DNA modifications and are related to interactions between the organism and the environment. Epigenetic marks are chemical changes that occur in chromosomes and result in the silencing or activation of specific genes in different tissues. It has been…