Study Shows Darwin's Natural Selection Still at Work
Live Science responds to right wing attacks on evolution by citing a study published last week in Nature which shows that Darwin’s natural selection is still at work in humans:
The evolutionary process that Charles Darwin discovered almost 150 years ago, responsible for transforming dinosaurs into birds and allowing the walking ancestors of whales to take to the seas, is still quietly at work in humans today.
Darwin’s natural selection is the process by which nature rewards those individuals better adapted to their environments with survival and reproductive success. It works at the level of genes, sections of DNA that encode for proteins serve as the software of life.
In one of the most detailed human DNA studies ever conducted, researchers analyzed nearly 12,000 genes from 39 people and a chimpanzee, our closest living relative.
The findings suggest that about 9 percent of the human genes examined are undergoing rapid evolution.
After further discussion of the study’s findings, they tie this into the current attacks on science:
The validity of Darwin’s natural selection has been attacked lately by a small but vocal group who argue that it cannot explain all the complexity seen in nature. They advocate a concept called “intelligent design,” in which a higher being is responsible for the variety of life. Scientists dismiss intelligent design as cloaked creationism and say that there are no significant problems with the widely accepted theory of evolution.
While mainstream scientists do not need further evidence that natural selection occurs, Bustamante’s work provides examples of its pace and extent and offers the promise of medical advances down the road.
posted by Ron Chusid at 3:29 PM
2 Comments:
The chimpanzee is perhaps our closest living relative. However, this in no way suggests or favors natural causes of our evolution.
Suppose that God generated life, starting with atoms, chemicals, organisms, and onwards via genetic encoding, and God formulated all of the sequences for the desired species.
Now suppose, that when creation had reached it's perfected or desired end product form, that God implanted transcendent souls into a select species(human beings).
Now suppose that divine moral law governed that species from outside of this universe, from eternity if you will. And that mankind with it's free will apposed the perfect spiritual moral order for the sake of it's individual or personal satisfaction or desire or WILL. And that God then lowered them to the state to which they chose, the mere phsyicality of their vessages.
God would then choose to make changes, which would inflict breakdown and decay of Human beings, so to bring to light, to their attention, THE PURPOSE OF THEIR EXISTENCE.
In their journey through the generations God allowed them to see the fallibility of their choice, and impossibility for them to achieve spiritual merit through their vain physical and environmental choices, errantly made to serve the self.
God then changed the earth to accomodate a cultivation and salvation program in which to give man a second chance. In this second chance we were revealed the great mercy and love, as well as other moral attributes of God, and were given a chance to convert, to be cultivated into the souls originally intended, but still done in such a way in which to establish authentic self choice in which to MERIT that eternal moral essence, that godliness. So we can dwell with Him, in a merited sense(we learned, we earned, we responded to God in faith which means we chose God For God's essence, good for good)....this is autthentic and perfect.
But that means alot of things changed, the vanity of sin shown in the violence of OT bible, shown in the justice, and the just chastisements, as well as the destructive changes to the one land continent, and the environements, as mentioned in genesis, via the flood, and sudden dividing of the continent(causing many fossilizations and altering many environments and landscapes on earth).
All this was done through history, and probably added transcendent effects to dated rock layers.
But back to the genetics.....a life death balance in nature was programmed into dna, hence mutations are observed in the elusive cells contained in bacteria and viruses. Also, each living thing is distinct and difference, and has various choices in terms of niches, diets, and habits.
To finish, understand that as environments changed, and change, it is fitting that we wer given the ability to adjust and alter our niches as well as all other species which migrated to populate the earth.
God would've known that from the outset, and programmed those abilities beforehand.
So nothing in science suggests natural causes, or natural processes as the origin of life on earth. Nothing. If anyone can find me one item which doesn't serve a purpose, and which clearly reveals chaotic essence, please let me know.
Mark,
Before you try to comment on evolution and biology, I'd suggest you at least study the basics of what you are talking about before posting such totally off the wall nonsense. You might have a better chance of making an argument if you had the slightest idea what the science is all about.
For example, nature is full of examples of things which do not serve a purpose, such as the human appendix. There are also frequent vestages of previous evolutionary steps which are seen in organisms beyond the point where they are meaningful.
Post a Comment
<< Home