Wednesday, November 4, 2009

RNA Repair Better Than New

One of the many examples of incredible complexity in biology is the DNA repair system. It is also an example of incredible complexity that appeared incredibly early in the history of life. If complexity evolves from simplicity, then it does so at an astonishing pace. As amazing as this story is, it is only the beginning. We now know that DNA's transcript--its sister molecule RNA--has its own repair system which also must have arisen early.

Not surprisingly the RNA repair system is immensely complex. But an interesting twist is that after the RNA molecule has been repaired it is sealed with a methyl group, making it stronger than it was in the first place.

It is just the sort of thing we would never expect with evolution. A complex and esoteric design appearing very early in the history of life. With evolution we must imagine that such an intricate and precise sealing capability just happened to arise for no reason in some of the earliest cells. The blind dart thrower just happened to hit the bull's eye.

And of course if that's true, then the walls must be covered with all the darts that didn't hit the mark--the only way a blind dart thrower could luckily hit the mark is with a great many tries. Evolution must have produced bizarre and useless designs at an unheard of pace.

It is an aspect of evolution that evolutionists don't often discuss: if precise designs arose by chance, then how many tries were required? Such awkward questions are often covered over with Lamarckian language. It is said that environmental pressures brought about the designs. This may sound good, but there is one problem. With evolution environmental pressures do no such thing. The jaw-dropping designs must arise for no reason. It's amazing how well evolution works.

2 comments:

  1. A man falls into a rapid flowing river. Why do I have the instinct to jump in and save this man? Evolution would not support that now would it?

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  2. Jaw dropping is right. I only discvered about nucleotide excision repair about 4 years ago in a lecture on a new cancer treastment, and I believe my mouth did actually drop open as the professor explained. They say that people remember where they were at certain momentous times, this was one of those times for me.

    Its almost beyond belief. After the DNA replicates, it is checked, and any inciorrect segments are repaired, or if too badly damaged, snipped out and a correct copy made and stitched in. This happens millions of times a day in each one of us, and if it didn't, we'd die.

    How can people believe this evolved by natural selection acting on random mutations, when the DNA itself can't survive without it? DNA is foundational to all life, yet is very fragile and neeeds to be constantly repaired.

    DNA cannot possibly have preceded the sophisticated mechanisms which maintain it.

    Truly, we have an awesome Designer.

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