Refined observations in the universe have, to some extent, encouraged scientists to admit that a large number of physical conditions in our universe must coincide for the existence of life. This unexpected view opens the door to the possibility that the universe might not just be a result of pure random processes, but that it has been carefully designed with the right conditions for life.
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.
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
Cambrian arthropods were as complex as living species
The "Cambrian explosion" is a term used to describe the abrupt appearance in the fossil record of major animal phyla, without intermediate forms in lower layers. This pattern of abrupt appearance can be observed for many groups of organisms, including crinoids (sea lilies).
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.
Is a recent fossil found in Peru evidence for transitional forms in an evolutionary sequence?
