By Bill Sardi
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
Biological changes in response to 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 The Best of Bill Sardi
