Creationists are unhappy with the claim that the evolution of life on Earth appears unguided and purposeless. Casey Luskin would like to think that it's a fundamental part of "the theory of Darwinian evolution" [Unguided or Not? How Do Darwinian Evolutionists Define Their Theory?].
An argument we are increasingly hearing from theistic evolutionists is that the "unguided" or "random" aspects of Darwinian evolution are merely "philosophical gloss" or an "add-on" promoted by new atheists who use bad philosophy. Jay Richards covered this question in his recent dialogue with Alvin Plantinga--see here, here, here, and here for the series. While many new atheists undoubtedly make poor philosophers, the "unguided" nature of Darwinian evolution is not a mere metaphysical "add on." Rather, it's a core part of how the theory of Darwinian evolution has been defined by its leading proponents. Unfortunately, even some eminent theistic and intelligent design-friendly philosophers appear unaware of the history and scientific development of neo-Darwinian theory.
This is wrong in many ways.
Here's the simple explanation ... so simple that even an IDiot should be able to understand it.
Modern evolutionary theory consists of many parts including the mechanisms of evolution. The main mechanisms are natural selection and random genetic drift and those two mechanisms act on populations containing variation. The variation is due to the presence of mutations and mutations arise "randomly" with respect to ultimate purpose or goal.
There are tons of experiments proving that mutations are essentially random. (Let's not get into quibbling about the meaning of "random.")
Now let's look at the history of life on Earth. This is a completely separate subject from evolutionary theory. It's like the difference between the theory of gravity and how and when our particular solar system formed.
Looking all the evidence used to reconstruct the probable history of life we see no evidence whatsoever that it was guided in any particular direction or that there was any underlying purpose. That's why we conclude that the evolution of life on Earth appears unguided. It's a tentative conclusion based on fact and observation and not on "the theory of Darwinian evolution."
While it is true that evolutionary theory doesn't allow for a "guided" mechanism, it isn't true that the history of life has to be devoid of purpose or guidance. There could well be evidence that god intervened or that particular organisms were preferred over others and the history was tilted in one direction. But there's no evidence that this is the case—with the possible exception of beetles.
The history of life looks exactly like it should if it were the result of accident, contingency, and evolution. There's no evidence of god(s). That's what makes the creationists upset, not evolutionary theory.
Max Planck once said ...
A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.
This does not conform to my experience in the biological sciences.
I think that what usually what happens is that a new way of thinking is promoted by well-established investigators. Gradually other scientists are convinced by the evidence to change their minds and the new scientific truth spreads within the community.
When a substantial number of scientists are converted, they start teaching the new concept in graduate and undergraduate courses. This produces a young generation who never heard of the old "truth."
If I'm correct then a new generation of scientists grows up familiar with the new scientific truth but only because the established scientists converted and started training the next generation properly.
When it comes to challenging old established concepts in a discipline I find that initially the younger scientists are often quite conservative unless they just happen to be working on that problem. This shouldn't be a surprise since our young investigators have their hands full just establishing themselves in their field. They don't have time to think about what's going on in the rest of the discipline. In fact, it might be detrimental to their careers to challenge most established concepts.
As I'm writing this I'm having trouble coming up with examples in biology. Most of the conceptual shifts that come to mind are ongoing controversies where it still isn't clear that the new scientific truth will replace the old one. I'm thinking of evo-devo, challenges to evolutionary theory, junk DNA, chemiosmotic theory, metabolism & thermodynamics, the tree of life, photosynthesis, and even new ways of teaching.
Can anyone think of examples were the shift has been completed so we can test the Max Planck hypothesis?
How about the shift from thinking that genes were proteins to genes are DNA?
Bet you thought that this horse had been beaten to death when you read Still Digging: Part I.
Ha! You don't know why we call them IDiots!
Here's the latest contribution from lawyer non-scientist David Klinghoffer: Why We Call the Myth of Junk DNA a "Myth"
Believe it or not, the IDiots are still trying to weasel out of the mistakes they've made in attacking junk DNA.
Here's the problem. Jonathan Wells wrote an entire book on The Myth of Junk DNA. Wells says that back in the early 1970s a substantial number of scientists—he calls them Darwinists—said that all noncoding DNA was junk.
We got married forty-four years ago today.
Ms. Sandwalk hasn't changed a bit.
The engineers and technicians have done their job, and what a fantastic job they did! "Curiosity" is now on the surface of Mars and it's time for the science to begin.
Have you been wondering about the scientific mission? The search for life is getting all the publicity but, let's face it, the chances of success are slim.
What about the other missions? Rebecca Ghent of the Dept. of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto explains why she's interested in the data that "Curiosity" will collect [Curiosity: planetary science and the latest Mars mission].
One of the things I'm interested in is the physical characteristics of planetary regoliths - the surface layer of broken rock, dust, etc., that covers planetary surfaces. It's important to understand how this layer formed and has evolved, because it holds a record of the geological processes that have occurred on each planet. Mars has a very complex surface geological record involving the actions of wind, volcanism, impact cratering, and possibly, water; so this new information about the composition and physical characteristics of the rocks at the Curiosity landing site will provide valuable new insights into the roles of these various processes in forming Mars' surface rocks.
For scientists, the best is yet to come. I hope the science journalists can keep the public focused on the real mission and the importance of the data.
Those Brits know what's important! (They also had a picture of some other scientist, I think his name was Isaac.)
[Hat Tip: Ms. Sandwalk]
Some of you aren't familiar with TED talks so the recent criticism doesn't make sense (e.g. The Trouble with TED). Here's an example of one of the problems with TED talks. This is a "gosh, gee whiz" kind of talk that's almost completely devoid of information.1
The talk has pretty pictures of the developing human embryo/fetus accompanied by the kind of music that evokes mystery and awe. The author of the video talks of the mystery and why it makes him think of divinity.
The first divinity-inspiring observation concerns collagen. Most collagen molecules form fibers (see Collagen) but those in the eye form sheets in the basal lamina. This is because the eye collagen is a different type of collagen. Here's what Wikipedia says [Collagen IV] ...
Type-IV collagen is a type of collagen found primarily in the basal lamina. The type IV collagen C4 domain at the C-terminus is not removed in post-translational processing, and the fibers link head-to-head, rather than in parallel. Also, type-IV lacks the regular glycine in every third residue necessary for the tight, collagen helix. This makes the overall arrangement more sloppy with kinks. These two features cause the collagen to form in a sheet, the form of the basal lamina.
Does that make you think of god(s)?
Would you pay several thousand dollars to hear this TED talk?
1. Recall that the theme of TED is "Ideas worth spreading." Which ideas in this talk are worth spreading?
I recommend this article by Enrico Uva: Changing Ideas About The Origin Of Life.
Here are the main points—but you should read the whole thing.
- Primordial catalysts were probably not proteins nor RNA
- First Energy Source Likely Involved Proton Gradients
- Knowledge of New Bacterial Kingdoms Downplays Role of Fermentation In First Cells
You should also read The beginnings of life: Chemistry’s grand question by Ashutosh Jogalekar. Here's an excerpt.
While Miller and his fellow “soupists” blazed the initial paths in origins of life research, a startling new era dawned in the 80s with the discovery of potential life-sustaining factories in the most unlikely environments. The finding that life thrives in deep hydrothermal vents opened a whole new chapter in the field, again avowedly chemical. Black smoker chimneys located miles beneath the ocean have for millions of years been orchestrating a tumultuous union of hot, metal-rich, acidic chemicals arising from volcanic vents with cool alkaline waters. The unholy meeting of these two chemical opposites leads to a violent precipitation of minerals including the silicate mineral olivine, one of the most ubiquitous components of our planet’s rocky landscape. The precipitation of these minerals results in chimney like structures that can be miles high. The convecting thermal currents in these chimneys provide an abundant source of life’s sine qua non – energy. The metals can act as catalysts for simple reactions which involve sulfur, carbon monoxide and water. In recent years, because of the sheer energy hidden inside them, their capacity to catalyze key reactions like the Krebs cycle and concentrate reactants and products in microscopic pores and the uncanny resemblance of some of the iron and sulfur compounds to crucial iron-sulfur cores found in proteins, these mighty smokers have been considered by many scientists to precede or at least accompany the origin of life on the surface. Prominent among the “smokers” are scientists like Nick Lane and the patent attorney Günter Wächterhäuser who moonlights in the field as a “hobby”. These theories provide the “metabolism first” counterpart to the “replication first” camp. Together they may account for both genetic inheritance and chemical metabolism.
It doesn't matter whether you're a soupist or a smoker but you'd better be aware of the controversy. Too many scientists think that the primordial soup is still the best, and only, game in town in spite of its severe problems.
Some of you might recall the recent Chromosome 2 kerfuffle. It started when Carl Zimmer asked David Klinghoffer a simple question. Zimmer asked him to describe the evidence to support his claim that the fusion site didn't look like it should if two primitive ape chromosomes had fused to produce human chromosome 2.
Rather than simply answer the question, the IDiots circled the wagons then went into attack mode. Eventually, after a lot of pressure, they got around to answering the question; apparently there is no evidence to support their claim [And Finally the Hounding Duck Can Rest].
Of course by then they were so deep in their hole that the sun don't shine.
It's Tuesday, so it must be time for Monday's Molecule.... Oops.1
Last week we looked at an important intermediate in the Calvin cycle—the main pathway for fixing carbon dioxide in many species [Monday's Molecule #179]. Today we're going to look at the intermediate in another pathway. Name the molecule, the common name will do.
Discovery of this molecule, and the pathway it's involved in, was an important contribution to understanding basic metabolism in most cells. The enzyme that makes it has been characterized. It's now one of the most widely studied enzymes in biochemistry. The pathway is essential for all species, with a few minor exceptions.
This knowledge has been exploited by technology to an extent never imagined only 50 years ago. Name the technology and how it makes use of what we know about the enzyme and the pathway. For extra bonus points, explain how the molecule got it's root Japanese name.
Post your answers as a comment. I'll hold off releasing any comments for 24 hours. The first one with the correct answer wins. I will only post mostly correct answers to avoid embarrassment. The winner will be treated to a free lunch with a very famous person, or me.
There could be two winners. If the first correct answer isn't from an undergraduate student then I'll select a second winner from those undergraduates who post the correct answer. You will need to identify yourself as an undergraduate in order to win. (Put "undergraduate" at the bottom of your comment.)
Some past winners are from distant lands so their chances of taking up my offer of a free lunch are slim. (That's why I can afford to do this!)
In order to win you must post your correct name. Anonymous and pseudoanonymous commenters can't win the free lunch.
Winners will have to contact me by email to arrange a lunch date. Please try and beat the regular winners. Most of them live far away and I'll never get to take them to lunch. This makes me sad.
Comments are invisible for 24 hours. Comments are now open.
UPDATE:The molecule is 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate an intermediate in the chorismate pathway and the synthesis of tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine. The enzyme that produces this product is EPSP synthase and some bacterial versionsof this enzyme are resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup®.
The gene for the resistant enzyme can be inserted into crop plants making them resistant to Roundup®.
The winner would have been Ben but I can't identify that person. The winner is Raul A. Félix de Sousa.
Winners
Nov. 2009: Jason Oakley, Alex Ling
Oct. 17: Bill Chaney, Roger Fan
Oct. 24: DK
Oct. 31: Joseph C. Somody
Nov. 7: Jason Oakley
Nov. 15: Thomas Ferraro, Vipulan Vigneswaran
Nov. 21: Vipulan Vigneswaran (honorary mention to Raul A. Félix de Sousa)
Nov. 28: Philip Rodger
Dec. 5: 凌嘉誠 (Alex Ling)
Dec. 12: Bill Chaney
Dec. 19: Joseph C. Somody
Jan. 9: Dima Klenchin
Jan. 23: David Schuller
Jan. 30: Peter Monaghan
Feb. 7: Thomas Ferraro, Charles Motraghi
Feb. 13: Joseph C. Somody
March 5: Albi Celaj
March 12: Bill Chaney, Raul A. Félix de Sousa
March 19: no winner
March 26: John Runnels, Raul A. Félix de Sousa
April 2: Sean Ridout
April 9: no winner
April 16: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
April 23: Dima Klenchin, Deena Allan
April 30: Sean Ridout
May 7: Matt McFarlane
May 14: no winner
May 21: no winner
May 29: Mike Hamilton, Dmitri Tchigvintsev
June 4: Bill Chaney, Matt McFarlane
June 18: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
June 25: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
July 2: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
July 16: Sean Ridout, William Grecia
July 23: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
July 30: Bill Chaney and Raul A. Félix de Sousa
Aug. 7: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
1. I got confused because yesterday was Simcoe Day.
Blogging is fun. I love it when a serious discussion breaks out in the comments. Sometimes I love it even when the discussion is not serious.
Back in the olden days I used to love the newsgroups, especially talk.origins but I don't read it much any more. (Don't worry, I won't shut off the talk.origins server.)
Lately I've been spending more time on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ to see if there's anything there worth reading. It seems to be a mixed bag. The ratio of interesting vs non-interesting stuff seems to be a problem.
Perhaps that's just because I'm not following the right people?
Let me know if you find something worthwhile. My Twitter account is @larryon sandwalk, you can reach me on Facebook at Laurence A. Moran, and on Google+ I'm Laurence A. "Larry" Moran.
An awful of of people seem to waking up to the idea that TED talks are not what they're supposed to be. They attract a lot of kooks who can speak well and exude enthusiasm. How many times have you listened to a TED talk in your area of expertise and wondered how the heck that person got on the stage?
TED talks are just big soundbites and soundbites are not good ways to explain complicated, and potentially revolutionary, ideas.
I just heard about the NAFTA Superhighway. It's going to be as wide as four football fields. Is that Canadian football fields, Mexican football fields, or American football fields?
I can't wait 'till it's finished.
The good news is that I should be able to drive from Toronto to Texas in less than 24 hours.
The bad news is that Texans will be able to drive to Toronto in less than 24 hours.
I hope they have Tim Hortons at the rest stops.
The term "pH" is used to measure acidity. Strong acids, like hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, have very a very low pH while weaker acids, like acetic acid (vinegar), have pH readings that are higher. A "neutral pH" is 7.0, this is close to the pH value of the cytoplasm in living cells.
Higher pH values are "alkaline" rather that acidic. The highest pH value is usually shown as 14 and the lowest pH value is shown as 0.
Acidity is a function of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+), or protons. The strength of alkaline solutions is measured by the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-).
There's a reciprocal relationship between the concentrations of these two ions because we're dealing with aqueous solutions (water). Water molecules dissociate into H+ and OH- ions so in pure water there will always be equal concentrations of both ions.
The extent of this dissociation determines the concentration of these ions in pure water. We express the extent of dissociation using a term called the equilibrium constant (Keq) that is defined as the concentration of the products of a reaction over the concentration of the reactant(s).
For the dissociation of water, the actual equation is ...
