Turns Out Most DNA Is Not Junk After All

"The thought before the start of the project, said Thomas Gingeras, an Encode researcher from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, was that only 5 to 10 percent of the DNA in a human being was actually being used.

The big surprise was not only that almost all of the DNA is used but also that a large proportion of it is gene switches. Before Encode, said Dr. John Stamatoyannopoulos, a University of Washington scientist who was part of the project, “if you had said half of the genome and probably more has instructions for turning genes on and off, I don’t think people would have believed you.”

By the time the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, embarked on Encode, major advances in DNA sequencing and computational biology had made it conceivable to try to understand the dark matter of human DNA. Even so, the analysis was daunting — the researchers generated 15 trillion bytes of raw data. Analyzing the data required the equivalent of more than 300 years of computer time." - (read the rest here)

Listen to Dr. Fuz Rana's analysis here.

Other great analysis and the validation of the design inference here.

Intelligent Design in Action (VIDEO)

Check out these astonishing molecular machines. More evidence of intelligent design...

Talk by Drew Berry.

For more on discovering design, click here.

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Why Are We Still Debating Darwin?

"In his "Socrates in the City" talk in Washington last week, Steve Meyer asked: "Is there a scientific controversy about the theory of evolution?" After quoting many spokesmen for official science who deny the existence of any such controversy, or any reason to doubt evolutionary theory whatsoever, Meyer showed that there are significant reasons to doubt both biological and chemical evolutionary theory.

He first addressed the problems associated with chemical evolutionary theory, which "attempts to explain the origin of the first life from simpler pre-existing chemicals." Here he explained the critical question of the origin of genetic information. This is the problem he addressed in his bookSignature in the Cell, a problem that has beset all attempts to explain the origin of life by reference to undirected chemical evolutionary processes.

The most important idea for laymen to grasp is that of biological information. It's difficult to understand "exactly what information is," Meyer has written. It's not a physical thing. He quotes the evolutionary biologist George Williams as saying that information "doesn't have mass or charge or length," and matter "doesn't have bytes." It follows that matter and information belong to "two separate domains."

Information in biology is best understood as analogous to software code. Recall Bill Gates's comment: "DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created."

Software is a set of instructions for a new program in a computer. Likewise, DNA contains a set of instructions for the assembly of parts, namely proteins, within a cell. In the 19th century the cell was thought to be simple. Darwin and his contemporaries had no way of knowing just how complex it was. The cell today is sometimes compared to a high-tech factory. (Except it's much more complex than that -- factories can't replicate themselves.)

Here is the key question: How did the requisite information get into the DNA in the first place? Without it, the first cell would never have been..." (read the rest) 

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Should Christians Embrace Theistic Evolution?

There's a lot of discussion right now about this question. Is theistic evolution a good 'middle way' for the scientific minded Christian? I offer some thoughts on where to begin answering this question in this short video:



Fore more on theistic evolution, see the helpful website Faith and Evolution.

I go into more detail on how this discussion plays out in the public square and how to equip the next generation here.

Dr. Stephen Meyer was recently on Stand to Reason talking about theistic evolution. You can access that here.

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What is Intelligent Design?

Dr. Stephen Meyer explains how there is a Signature in the Cell in this excellent video:





More on what Intelligent Design is and isn't...

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What is the origin of digital information found in DNA? (video)

"Information is what runs the show in biology. The question is what is the source of the digital information found in DNA?" Stephen Meyer argues that only intelligence can produce information.



Check out his argument here:

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Can Natural Selection Acting On Random Mutation Get The Job Done For Richard Dawkins?

In this video clip, Dr. Stephen Meyer explains just how improbable Darwinian Evolution really is:





Check out the Darwin's Dilemma website for more information.

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Sound Bites and Slogans: Intelligent Design is nothing more than an argument from ignorance

“Science will eventually explain the gaps in our current knowledge of the physical universe; Intelligent Design is nothing more than an argument from ignorance.”

First of all, let me affirm that humanity has greatly benefited from ethically practiced science. But in this case I think you have misunderstood the claim that proponents of Intelligent Design (ID) are making. ID is not an argument from what we don’t know, but an inference from what we do know. When it comes to explaining any structure or phenomena in the physical world, we have three basic options: (1) Physical Necessity, (2) Chance, or (3) Design. So, for example, if hikers come across Mt. Rushmore they have a choice to make as to how this curious rock formation occurred. Is this pattern here because of some law of nature (i.e., it had to be this way)? No. Could random forces like wind and erosion produce this given enough time? No. The first two options are ruled out because they are not reasonable inferences to draw. But this rock formation has faces on it that correspond to four American presidents. These rock faces fit an independent pattern and indicate design. Just as it is entirely reasonable for an archeologist to distinguish between a rock and an arrowhead using the process above so to the molecular biologist is justified to infer design when looking at the language and information contained in DNA. Our repeated experience tells us that information is always the product of a mind. So ID is not an argument from ignorance, but an argument from evidence.

*The Design Inference I described above was developed by Dr. William Dembski. You can read more about this and ID in his accesible book Intelligent Design Uncensored: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to the Controversy

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Prof. John Lennox Talks About His New Book Seven Days That Divide the World

Lennox discusses ways of interpreting scripture that don't compromise its authority. "I don't want to say anything less than what scripture says, but I don't want to say anything more," says Lennox. Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and Fellow of Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, Lennox has lectured on science and religion and related themes around the world.

Listen to his interview at ID the Future

John Lennox's Website

Check out his new book. He presents some very important distinctions and observations about the Biblical text, authority, and science.

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Evolution is all over the news, so how should Christians think about evolution?

From Rick Perry to Richard Dawkins...evolution is quite the conversation piece! Unfortunately, there is still a lot of confusion about what the main issue really is. In this video I suggest how Christians should think about evolution after carefully defining our terms:

How Should Christians Think About Evolution? - Jonathan Morrow from Think Christianly on Vimeo.

Other helpful stuff:

Should evangelicals move on from the evolution debate? (one of my previous posts)

Excellent book: God and Evolution edited by Jay Richards

Great website on God, faith, and evolution

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More Compelling Evidence For Intelligent Design...

I highly recommend this truly remarkable documentary exploring the breathtaking beauty and design of butterflies. Here is the video preview and product description of Metamorphosis (available on Blue Ray and DVD):

"Throughout history butterflies have fascinated artists and philosophers, scientists and schoolchildren with their profound mystery and beauty. In Metamorphosis you will explore their remarkable world as few ever have before. Spectacular photography, computer animation and magnetic resonance imaging open once hidden doors to every stage of a butterfly's life-cycle. From an egg the size of a pinhead to a magnificent flying insect. It is a transformation so incredible biologists have called it "butterfly magic." The superbly engineered body of a butterfly is magnified hundreds of times to reveal compound eyes made of thousands of individual lenses, wings covered with microscopic solar panels that warm the insect's muscles for flight, and navigational systems that unerringly guide Monarch butterflies on their annual migration from Canada to Mexico. How did these extraordinary creatures come into being? Are they the products of a blind, undirected process? Or, were they designed by an intelligence that transcends the material world? Filmed in the rain forests of Ecuador, Mexico's Trans-Volcanic mountain range, and leading research centers, Metamorphosis is an unforgettable documentary filled with the joys of discovery and wonder."

Enjoy!

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The impact of Darwin is not limited to biology

Check out Marvin Olasky's article about why when it comes to Darwin, the influence of evolutionary thinking reaches far beyond biology. The bottom line: Daniel Dennett in Darwin's Dangerous Idea hit it right...Darwin created a "universal acid" that eats through any "meaning coming from on high."

Read the rest here

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The Myth of Junk DNA

Is DNA mostly random junk that has gathered over the generations of natural selection acting on random mutation or does it indicate purposeful design? Jonathan Wells makes the case for design in his new book.

"A number of leading proponents of Darwinian evolution claim that “junk DNA”—the non-protein-coding DNA that makes up more than 95% of our genome—provides decisive evidence for Darwin’s theory and against intelligent design, since an intelligent designer would not have littered our genome with so much garbage. In The Myth of Junk DNA, biologist Jonathan Wells exposes their claim as an anti-scientific myth that ignores the evidence, relies on illegitimate theological speculations, and impedes biomedical research. After reading this book, your view of the genome will never be the same again."

Learn more here.

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William Dembski on BioLogos, Karl Giberson, Francis Collins, and the Merits of Theistic Evolution

William Dembski engages the theistic evolution debate in a recent review. Here is a taste:

Throughout their book, Giberson and Collins overconfidently proclaim that Darwinian evolution is a slam-dunk. Thus one reads, "There has been no scientific discovery since Darwin--not one--which has suggested that evolution is not the best explanation for the origin of species" (21-22). No theory is that good. Every theory admits anomalies. Every theory faces disconfirming evidence. Repeatedly readers are informed that mountains of overwhelming evidence support Darwin's theory and that the authors are "unfamiliar with any premier scientists who reject evolution." And just so there's no doubt, in that same paragraph, they reiterate, "There are certainly a few scientists who reject evolution . . . But these are never premier scientists." Oh, you reject Darwinian evolution; you can't be a premier scientist.....(read the rest)

This is a critical debate because the question of origins is hugely important. For more on faith and evolution, click here.

H/T - Evolution News

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Does New Scientific Evidence About the Origin of Life Put an End to Darwinian Evolution?

"How did life begin? Where did the first cell come from? Questions that have plagued scientists for centuries remain unanswered today, but recent scientific discoveries are leading modern scientists to explore the theory of intelligent design as a better explanation for the complexity of life and the universe."

Great post and video series by author of Signature in the Cell Stephen Meyer.

Check it out here.

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Is Archeopteryx the Missing Link?

What do our textbooks show? What is the truth?


More on faith, science, and Darwinian evolution

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Is Methodological Materialism Good For Science?

Here is a helpful post by Philosopher of Science, Angus Menuge:

Should science by governed by methodological materialism? That is, should scientists assume that only undirected causes can figure in their theories and explanations? If the answer to these questions is yes, then there can be no such thing as teleological science or intelligent design. But is methodological materialism a defensible approach to science, or might it prevent scientists from discovering important truths about the natural world? In my contribution to The Waning of Materialism (OUP, 2010), edited by Robert Koons and George Bealer, I consider twelve of the most common arguments in favor of methodological materialism and show that none of them is convincing.

Of these arguments, perhaps the most prevalent is the “God of the gaps” charge, according to which invoking something other than a material cause is an argument from ignorance which, like a bad script writer, cites a deus ex machina to save our account from difficulty. Not only materialists, but also many Christian thinkers, like Francis Collins, worry that appeal to intelligent design commits the God of the gaps fallacy.

As I argue, however, not only is an inference to an intelligent cause not the same as an inference to the supernatural, it is a mistake to assume that all gap arguments are bad, or that only theists make them. If a gap argument is based solely on ignorance of what might explain some phenomenon, then indeed it is a bad argument. But there are many good gap arguments which are made both by scientific materialists and proponents of intelligent design. For example, there is a gap between the fact of dinosaur extinction and processes known to be at work on earth at the time. Materialist scientists reasonably proposed that asteroid impact would bridge the gap, and went on to find independent confirmation of this hypothesis (shocked quartz in the Cretaceous boundary). Likewise, there may be a gap between a student’s musical ability and the CD he produces, leading one to conclude that he relied on the creative intelligence of other artists, something confirmed by further study of the tracks on the CD.

As Stephen Meyer has argued in his Signature in the Cell, intelligent design argues in just the same way, claiming not merely that the material categories of chance and necessity (singly or in combination) are unable to explain the complex specified information in DNA, but also that in our experience, intelligent agents are the only known causes of such information. The argument is based on what we know about causal powers, not on what we do not know about them.

Since the inference is based on known causal powers, we learn that the cause is intelligent, but only further assumptions or data can tell us whether that intelligence is immanent in nature or supernatural.It is a serious mistake to confuse intelligent design with theistic science, and the argument that since some proponents of design believe that the designer is God, that is what they are claiming can be inferred from the data, is a sophomoric intensional fallacy. By a similar argument (more...)

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What is Irreducible Complexity?

“By irreducibly complex I mean a single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning.” —Michael Behe (from Darwin's Black Box)

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The Miracle of the Origin of Life

Nicholas Wade, science writer for the New York Times, summarizes the current state of affairs regarding origins of life research:

“Everything about the origin of life on earth is a mystery, and it seems the more that is known, the more acute the puzzles get…The chemistry of the first life is a nightmare to explain. No one has yet devised a plausible explanation to show how the earliest chemicals of life -- thought to be RNA, or ribonucleic acid, a close relative of DNA -- might have constructed themselves from the inorganic chemicals likely to have been around on the early earth. The spontaneous assembly of small RNA molecules on the primitive earth ''would have been a near miracle,'' two experts in the subject helpfully declared last year.”

Lest you think this is an argument from ignorance, it is from what we do know about DNA and proteins and amino acids and the early earth's atmosphere. Chance or luck is out. And there is no self-organizing principle / law that made this "necessary" in any sense of the word.

Oxford Atheist Richard Dawkins on the Origin of Life (from Expelled):

Richard Dawkins: We know the sort of event that must have happened for the origin of life.
Ben Stein: And what was that?
Richard Dawkins: It was the origin of the first self replicating molecule.
Ben Stein: Right, and how did that happen?
Richard Dawkins: I've told you, we don't know.
Ben Stein: So you have no idea how it started.
Richard Dawkins: No, no. Nor has anyone.

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God and Evolution - Can you be a Darwinist and a theist?

Jay Richards has edited a new book exploring this important question. In other words, can a purposeful God use a purposeless process to create life? Check it out:

For more about the new book God & Evolution, visit here

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