The origin of spliceosomal introns represents a significant challenge to an evolutionary account of their origins. While the hypothesis that group II introns from bacterial endosymbionts gave rise to eukaryotic introns is the prevailing explanation, it faces a series of substantial obstacles.
Evolutionary Obstacles to the Origin of Introns Read More »
Here, I want to draw attention to a review article by Levine and Holland, published in 2018, on “the impact of mitotic errors on cell proliferation and tumorigenesis.” Noting that “mitosis is a delicate event that must be executed with high fidelity to ensure genomic stability,” the paper underscores the critical nature of various aspects of the eukaryotic cell cycle machinery.
How Do Mitotic Errors Affect Cell Proliferation? Read More »
Recurring design logic across multiple unrelated systems is surprising in an evolutionary perspective, whereas on the hypothesis of design it is what might be reasonably predicted. Examples like this, therefore, suggest the existence of a master-architect behind biological systems — particularly when we find many different examples of design logic that are found recurrently throughout life.
Sporulation: Another Example of a Transcriptional Hierarchy Read More »
By an unguided process of tinkering, it seems quite implausible that the genes would be appropriately arranged along the chromosome in a manner that corresponds to the timing of their expression. Not only must the necessary genes be organized into a hierarchical transcriptional cascade to ensure proper timing and coordination of assembly, but the specific order of the genes along their respective operons is also significant.
Transcriptional Hierarchies Exhibit Recurring Design Logic and Challenge Evolution Read More »
The process of chromosomal condensation is absolutely essential to successful mitotic cell division — that is to say, it is a part of a larger irreducibly complex system. Moreover, the highly condensed mitotic chromosome structures (with sister chromatids joined at the centromere) do not serve a purpose apart from in the context of mitosis. And yet, various components are themselves indispensable for effective chromosome condensation.
A new peer-reviewed paper published by carbohydrate researcher Russell Carlson at the University of Georgia has been published in the journal BioCosmos, which explains the high informational content and complexity of glycans, and why this is best explained on the hypothesis of intelligent design rather than unguided evolutionary processes.
New Paper Examines How the Complexity of Glycan Structures Points to Intelligent Design Read More »
A common question I get asked when framing the argument in this way has to do with the prior probability — that is, the intrinsic plausibility of the hypothesis being true before the evidence is considered.
A feature of biology that has struck me over the years is the phenomenon of recurring design logic, even across systems that do not appear to be related by descent. This is a feature that is quite surprising on the supposition that a mindless process is responsible for life’s origins, but is precisely what we might predict on the hypothesis that a mind played an important role.
Recurring Design Logic in Gene Regulation Read More »
What makes the origins of the eukaryotic cell cycle particularly resistant to evolutionary explanations is that a wide gulf exists between the mechanism of cell division by eukaryotes and that employed by prokaryotic cells — both in terms of the protein components involved, as well as the underlying logic. There is essentially nothing in common between the two systems.
The Cell Division Challenge to Eukaryogenesis Read More »
Various components of the mitotic cell division apparatus are indispensable for the system to work. This makes the eukaryotic cell division irreducibly complex, rendering it resistant to explanations in terms of blind, evolutionary processes.
The Eukaryotic Cell Cycle: An Irreducibly Complex System Read More »