Science Refutes Creationism

Do we really want to squander our time and resources chasing ghosts? https://www.independentsciencenews.org/health/still-chasing-ghosts-a-new-genetic-methodology-will-not-find-the-missing-heritability/ Excerpt: "By Evan Charney, Duke Institute for Brain Science, Duke University: One of the hopes and promises of the Human Genome Sequencing Project was that it would revolutionize the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of most human disorders. It would do this by uncovering the supposed “genetic bases” of human behavior. With a few exceptions, however, the search for common gene variants -“polymorphisms” – associated with common diseases has borne little fruit. And when such associations have been found the polymorphisms seem to have little predictive value and do little to advance our understanding of the causes of disease.  And to date, not a single polymorphism has been reliably associated with any psychiatric disorders nor any aspect of human behavior within the “normal” ran...

This hi-speed organism has more parts than a jumbojet - But it is able to replicate http://blog.godreports.com/2014/02/earliest-single-cell-bacteria-contained-seven-complex-motors/ Excerpt: "In November, 2012, two scientific groups from Osaka University in Japan and Aix-Marseille Université in France made a startling discovery. They set out to uncover the power behind the tiny tails (flagella) that allowed the MO-1 marine bacterium to swim. Using electron cryotomography—an electron microscope and very cold temperatures — they found this “simple” creature’s tails are powered by seven motors, arranged in a hexagonal array, with all gears interacting with 24 smaller gears between them. “The seven tails (flagella) rotate one way, and the smaller gears rotate the opposite way to maximize torque while minimizing friction,” Rose notes. These gears or bearings enable the flagella to spin very fast—so the MO-1 can swim ten times faster than E. coli and Salmonella. Some have referred to thi...

Human cells integrated into pig and cow embryos http://gizmodo.com/human-pig-chimeras-suggest-a-long-road-to-organ-farming-1791650630 Excerpt: "Those scientists experimented with several different chimeras, including rat cells injected into mouse embryos, rat cells injected into pig embryos, and human cells injected into pig embryos with varying levels of success. The mouse chimeras developed gall bladders made entire of rat cells, even though evolution took rat gall bladders away. The rat-pig chimeras didn’t work at all. But let’s focus on the pig-human chimeras for now. Last year, we reported that these same scientists were injecting human stem cells, the “blank” cells that can turn into other cell types, into 1500 developing pigs when they were just proto-embryo balls of cells called blastocysts. This new research reports the results of the implantations. Initially, the human cells seemed to attach and grow, but once the pig fetuses had implanted into the uterine walls of the m...

Mutations make genomes weaker - Evolution not observed https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-01-genetic-developmental-disorders-children.html Excerpt: "The largest ever genetic study of children with previously undiagnosed rare developmental disorders has discovered 14 new developmental disorders. Published today in Nature, the research led by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute also provided diagnoses of rare conditions for over a thousand children and their families. These diagnoses allow families with the same genetic conditions to connect and access support, and help inform better clinical management. The study also accelerates research into disease mechanisms and possible therapies. Each year, thousands of babies are born who do not develop normally because of errors in their genetic makeup. This can lead to conditions such as intellectual disability, epilepsy, autism or heart defects. There are over 1,000 recognised genetic causes, however many individual develop...

Genes are not drivers - cellular mechanisms control which stretches of DNA are accessible to be read out and translated into proteins https://phys.org/news/2017-01-shape-shifting-nucleosomes-avenues-epigenetics.html Excerpt: "Epigenetics—the study of genome modifications that control cell fate, some of which are thought to reflect environmental influences on the genetics of health and disease—is one of the key frontiers of modern genomics. At the heart of epigenetics is the question of how cells control which stretches of DNA are accessible to be read out and translated into proteins, and which sequences are spooled away and archived on nucleosomes. The dominant model in the field portrays nucleosomes as passive spindles, themselves 'octamers' made up of eight blocks of rigid histone proteins that snap together like Lego pieces when wrapped in DNA, and which must break apart or slide out of the way to allow their archived DNA to become active again. But Sinha, Gross and Na...

Rapid Evolution Observed? Katie bought an Anole Lizard. But she didn't follow recommendations on how to feed her new pet. The lizard turned dark brown. She has just observed rapid 'evolution' to occur. The reason for this rapid change is obvious; she gave only mealworms for the lizard instead of nutrient rich crickets and cockroaches. Here's the story: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120819195205AA7aRau The same phenomenon is happening in nature. All the time and everywhere. But it will never lead to evolution. Rapid changes within Darwin's Finches happen for the same reasons. Diet changes the epitranscriptome which alters gene expression patterns. You can read about this scientific fact from here: http://sciencerefutesevolution.blogspot.fi/2016/11/plant-micrornas-play-role-in-gene.html http://sciencerefutesevolution.blogspot.fi/2016/11/researchers-map-diet-induced-epigenetic.html http://sciencerefutesevolution.blogspot.fi/2016/11/diet-affects-epigeno...

Scientists Make Connection Between Genetic Variation and Immune System in Risk for Neurodegenerative and Other Diseases https://www.broadinstitute.org/news/scientists-make-connection-between-genetic-variation-and-immune-system-risk-neurodegenerative Excerpt: "The researchers recruited a subset of 461 volunteers from the PhenoGenetic Project of African American, East Asian American, or European American ancestry. Two different types of immune cells — T cells and monocytes — were purified from each individual's blood, representing the adaptive and innate arms of immunity, respectively. The researchers profiled these cells to measure the expression of 19,114 genes in each cell type. They then examined genetic variants throughout the human genome for their effects on gene expression in these two representative populations of immune cells. They discovered that genetic variation influencing a person's risk for multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes is more...

Bringing extinct species back to life - is it possible? http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/04/species-revival-bringing-back-extinct-animals/ Excerpt: "If the DNA inside the nucleus is well preserved enough to take control of the egg, it just might start dividing into a mammoth embryo. If the scientists can get past that hurdle, they still have the formidable task of transplanting the embryo into an elephant’s womb. Then, as Zimov cautions, they will need patience. If all goes well, it will still be almost two years before they can see if the elephant will give birth to a healthy mammoth. “The thing that I always say is, if you don’t try, how would you know that it’s impossible?” says Hwang." My comment: Bringing extinct species back to life is not possible. Why? Here's because: 1. The necessary information needed for embryonic development is not written in the DNA only. You need information of how genes need to be expressed. You need information of correct hi...

Traits are not determined by gene sequences https://phys.org/news/2017-01-scientists-reprogram-embryonic-stem-cells.html Excerpt: "MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that do not translate into proteins, yet have a profound impact on gene expression regulation. He and her colleagues found that a microRNA called miR-34a appears to be a brake preventing both ES and iPS cells from producing extra-embryonic tissues. When this microRNA was genetically removed, both ES and iPS cells were able to expand their developmental decisions to generate embryo cell types as well as placenta and yolk sac linages. In their experiments, about 20 percent of embryonic stem cells lacking the microRNA exhibited expanded fate potential. Furthermore, this effect could be maintained for up to a month in cell culture. "What is quite amazing is that manipulating just a single microRNA was able to greatly expand cell fate decisions of embryonic stem cells," He said. "This finding not only iden...

You need at least 500,000 perfectly organized base pairs in order to have a living cell http://motherboard.vice.com/read/craig-venter-created-the-simplest-living-organism-possible-in-a-laboratory Excerpt: "If synthetic biology has a rockstar, it’s Craig Venter, and he’s back with a new hit. Venter and his team say they’ve created one of the simplest organisms theoretically possible using a combination of genetic engineering techniques, in-lab DNA-synthesis, and trial-and-error. The work, published Thursday in Science, describes a self-replicating bacterium invented by Venter and his team that contains just 437 genes, a “genome smaller than that of any autonomously replicating cell found in nature,” according to the paper. The work sheds light on the function of the individual genes necessary to have life, and it also shows us just how little we actually know about specific gene functions." My comment: The number of base pairs in a gene varies a lot. You need about 1,000 base ...

'Mysterious' non-protein-coding RNAs play important roles in gene expression https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-01-mysterious-non-protein-coding-rnas-important-roles.html Excerpt: " In cells, DNA is transcribed into RNAs that provide the molecular recipe for cells to make proteins. Most of the genome is transcribed into RNA, but only a small proportion of RNAs are actually from the protein-coding regions of the genome. "Why are the non-coding regions transcribed at all? Their function has been mysterious," said Shelley Berger, PhD, a professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and director of the Penn Epigenetics Institute in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Berger and Daniel Bose, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in her lab, study the regulation of gene expression from enhancers, non-coding regions of the genome more distant from protein-coding regions. Enhancers boost the rate of gene expression from nearby protein-coding genes so a...

Direct communication between cell's surveillance and protein synthesizing machinery eliminates genetic errors http://phys.org/news/2017-01-cell-surveillance-protein-machinery-genetic.html Excerpt: "Consider a car maker," said Baker. "If a faulty brake pedal sneaks past quality control and gets installed into a new car, the primary result is an improperly functioning car, which, in itself, is bad. However, failure to remove the car from the road could have grave secondary consequences if it leads to the damage of other cars, drivers or roads. Efficient quality control processes are therefore necessary, and ones that identify and remove faulty genetic intermediates from the cell are absolutely critical for avoiding downstream consequences that could negatively impact the function of the entire cell." New research out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine describes a mechanism by which an essential quality control system in cells identifies and dest...

A white American girl has the greatest gene resemblance to Somalia and Sudan! https://curlycarly.com/2012/07/23/my-shocking-dna-test-results/ Excerpt: "I’ve recently received some shocking, life-altering news. My whole world has changed. I’ve lost all sense of identity and have so many questions. I took a DNA test and discovered I’m not who I thought I was. The test, which I purchased through Living Social at a deep discount, is designed to tell you the top areas of the world whose current people have genes similar to yours. It doesn’t necessarily mean that your family is originally from that location, but it can be reasoned that if you have similar DNA, then you could possibly have ancestral connections to that place. That’s what the company’s website says anyway. I received the test in the mail and after a few quick swabs of the mouth, I sent the sample back and waited. About 8 days later, the results were accessible online. They tell you the top 10 countries you’re connected to...

Inuit dark skin determined by vitamin D rich diet http://scienceline.org/2007/06/ask-dricoll-inuiteskimos/ Excerpt 1: "But Inuit vitamin D intake wasn’t dependent upon the sun. They get all that they need from their diet, heavy on types of fatty fish that are naturally rich in vitamin D. The plentiful amounts of the vitamin kept them from developing less melanin. In fact, before milk was fortified with D, people living outside of Northern Canada and Alaska loaded their diets with fishy products, such as cod liver oil, to get their daily supplement. So despite their chilly climate and lack of sun exposure, it’s the Inuit diet that has kept them in their natural glow." https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/MC1R Excerpt 2:"The MC1R gene provides instructions for making a protein called the melanocortin 1 receptor. This receptor plays an important role in normal pigmentation. The receptor is primarily located on the surface of melanocytes, which are specialized cells that produce a p...

Immune system associated genes don't change due to random mutations https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-01/kcl-gpa010317.php Excerpt: "Nearly three quarters of immune traits are influenced by genes, new research from King's College London reveals. The study published today in Nature Communications, adds to a growing body of evidence that the genetic influence on our immune system is significantly higher than previously thought. Researchers from King's, supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust and King's College London, analysed 23,000 immune traits in 497 adult female twins from the TwinsUK cohort. They found that adaptive immune traits - the more complex responses that develop after exposure to a specific pathogen, such as chickenpox - are mostly influenced by genetics. They also highlight the importance of environmental influences such as our diet, on shaping the innate immunity (the simple core im...

Unbalance of epigenetic factors is the most significant reason for cancers - Healthy diets help us prevent cancers A 3,000-year-old medical claim surprises modern scientists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-01-uncover-mechanism-cancer-killing-properties-pepper.html   Excerpt: "UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have uncovered the chemical process behind anti-cancer properties of a spicy Indian pepper plant called the long pepper, whose suspected medicinal properties date back thousands of years. The secret lies in a chemical called Piperlongumine (PL), which has shown activity against many cancers including prostate, breast, lung, colon, lymphoma, leukemia, primary brain tumors, and gastric cancer . Using x-ray crystallography, researchers were able to create molecular structures that show how the chemical is transformed after being ingested. PL converts to hPL, an active drug that silences a gene called GSTP1. The GSTP1 gene produces a detoxification enzyme that is ofte...

MicroRNA expression is regulated by DNA methylation: a complex cascade of gene regulation events http://www.epibeat.com/regulatory-rna/mirna-dna-methylation-gene-expression/5508/ Excerpt: "MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs, roughly 22 nucleotides in size that are central and negative regulators of gene expression. They exert their functions through base-pairing with the 3’UTR of mRNAs and block expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, depending on the perfect or imperfect match in sequences between miRNAs and their target genes. miRNAs are central nodes in a variety of biological processes like cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and differentiation, and are considered to be “epigenetic controllers” because they influence gene expression without altering the genomic sequence. Altered expression of miRNAs is a commonly observed in various pathological conditions, including cancer, where they can act as tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes. Simi...