Science Refutes Creationism

The number of functional long non-coding RNAs exceeds the number of protein coding genes present in human cells https://epigeneticsliteracyproject.org/junk-dna-no-long-non-coding-rna-functional-study-finds/ Excerpt: "Researchers have now catalogued nearly 28,000 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) present in human cells, and found that roughly 20,000 are likely functional. The study, published yesterday (March 1, 2017) in Nature, also suggests that about 2,000 lncRNAs are associated with diseases." http://fantom.gsc.riken.jp/cat/?cultureKey=&q=cat Excerpt: "Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are largely heterogeneous and functionally uncharacterized. Here, using FANTOM5 cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) data, we integrate multiple transcript collections to generate a comprehensive atlas of 27,919 human lncRNA genes with high-confidence 5′ ends and expression profiles across 1,829 samples from the major human primary cell types and tissues. Genomic and epigenomic classific...

More than 20 million genetic variants identified in the Icelanders' genome - still no evolution observed http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-icelandic-genome-disease-20150325-story.html Excerpt: "Scientists who sequenced the entire genomes of 2,636 people in Iceland have produced a trove of valuable information about the nature, location and frequency of human genetic variations. The new research not only sheds light on the range of human genetic variability; it will help researchers draw more direct lines between genes and diseases. For instance, genetic abnormalities long thought to guarantee early death now appear to be more common than previously believed, the researchers found. They also discovered new genetic contributors to such varied afflictions as Alzheimer's disease, liver disease and atrial fibrillation. By sequencing the full genomes of so many Icelanders and comparing the results with less extensive genotype data from more than 104,000 of thei...

What you experience in your lifetime can modify your DNA, and these changes can be passed down through the generations http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-04-21/what-does-epigenetics-mean-for-you-and-your-kids/8439548?pfmredir=ms Excerpt: "Everyone's heard of the genome: that double helix DNA code that is uniquely yours, unless you happen to have an identical twin. But there's another layer of complexity responsible for creating us — and that's the epigenome. While every one of us has one unique DNA code, we all have many epigenomes because every different type of cell in the body — in your skin, fat, liver, and brain — has its own epigenome. The science of epigenetics is just getting started, but promises to deliver big changes to the way we treat disease and understand heredity. How can our lifestyles change our epigenome? Epigenetic changes occur throughout our lives, in fact a degree of adaptability seems to be required for normal human health. We know that smo...

Turning off the same gene in mice can result in different physical changes, despite similar genetic backgrounds http://www.sanger.ac.uk/news/view/how-genetic-mutations-affect-development-more-complex-previously-thought Excerpt: "A large-scale study, published in Wellcome Open Research and which passed peer review today, has shown that inactivating the same gene in mouse embryos that are virtually genetically identical can result in a wide range of different physical features or abnormalities. This suggests that the relationship between gene mutation and consequence is more complex than previously suspected. The researchers, from the Deciphering the Mechanisms of Development Disorders (DMDD) consortium that is coordinated at the Francis Crick Institute, looked at 220 mouse embryos each missing one of 42 different genes. By scanning the entire embryo in minute detail, the researchers picked up on even the smallest differences in features – right down to the level of whether the stru...

Identical twins with different skin, hair and eye colors - Gene sequences don't determine traits http://www.bionews.org.uk/page_621173.asp   (February 28, 2016) Excerpt: "Two baby girls from County Durham are thought to be the first genetically identical twins in the UK to be born with different eye and skin colour. Before their birth, placental sampling had shown the twins were monozygotic – they had developed from the same fertilised egg and share the same DNA sequence. 'Alternatively, sometimes markers on the DNA which influence the extent to which the DNA is expressed can be different in the twins. We do have some evidence that skin colour is subject to this kind of "epigenetic'" control,' Dr Steves added." https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170419121955.htm#.WPiYgwpqTIg.linkedin (April 19, 2017) Excerpt: "Although identical twins have the same genes as each other, their epigenomes -- the collection of methyl marks studding their ...

Bears breed across species borders - 'Species' is a man made word https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170419093151.htm#.WPikcs4L-8M.linkedin Excerpt: "Pizzly, grolars or "capuccino bears" are common names of the offspring resulting from the mating of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus). "Such hybrids among bears are not as rare as we have hitherto assumed," says Prof. Dr. Axel Janke of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center in Frankfurt. In a large-scale analysis, a team of scientists led by the German evolutionary geneticist has sequenced six complete bear genomes. Each genome is about 2.5 billion base pairs large. "With these new data of the sun bear, sloth bear, Asiatic black bear and spectacled bear, we now have the genomes of all known bear species," adds Janke. It has previously been assumed that the number of hybrids between polar and brown bears is increasing due to climate change,...

Seven things Darwin didn't tell you, because he didn't know. 1.  Alterations in diet , climate, stress and other environmental factors cause mechanism based inheritable changes in organisms,  not random mutations and selection. An example: Italian wall lizards experienced radical changes in morphology and behavior after changing their diet from insects to plants. This occurred very rapidly, just in three decades. They even had a 'new' structure in their gut, so called Cecal Valve. Genes that control growth of the Cecal Valve were differently expressed due to the changed diet.   2.  Random mutations don't enhance the genomic information.  Random mutations are genetic errors and they destroy biological information and disrupt genetic integrity. An example: There are about 200,000 disease-causing genetic mutations in the human DNA pointing out that evolution is not happening and that so called natural selection is not able to weed those mutations out. 3.  Most...

How a little schoolgirl destroyed the theory of Evolution by a single question Children had a lesson in Biology. Ms Nieminen, the teacher, taught about the theory of evolution and the first assumed life forms on Earth. Pupils and the teacher had an interesting conversation: Teacher: - And here's a nice picture of a bacterial population. They are simple single cell life forms. Do you know, dear children, that all other life forms have evolved from these tiny unicellular organisms? Children: - Cool! Teacher: - Yes, it's really cool. But do you know that a bacterium is able to copy itself? It's called replication and reproduction. By this way the bacteria are able to maintain the population. The replication mechanism is extremely complex. Liisa, 10 years: Teacher, how long can one single bacterium cell live? Teacher: Well, it depends...some of them live only few minutes but some can live even weeks. How so? Liisa: Then how did the first bacterium develop its replication system...

Gene loss is more common in a culture in which marrying a relative is common http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/human-knockouts-reveal-genes-we-don-t-need Excerpt: "Although humans have about 20,000 genes, exactly what most of them do inside our body’s cells is still murky. One way to learn more is to find people who lack a working copy of a particular gene and see how that affects their health. Such so-called knockouts are scarce in the general population. But a new study points to a more efficient way to find them: Search the DNA of people from a culture in which marrying a relative is common. And complete knockouts—people whose two copies of a specific gene are both disabled—should be even more abundant in groups in which parents are often related because this increases a person’s chances of inheriting the same chunk of DNA from both parents. For that reason, Van Heel, Richard Durbin of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, U.K., and co-workers sequenced the pro...

This is bad news for proponents of the theory of evolution http://patients.ambrygen.com/general-genetics/know-the-basics/about-genetic-disorders/statistics Summary: 1. 3-7% of people will be diagnosed with a genetic condition. 2. Globally, 3-6% of babies are born with a physical finding called a birth defect. 3. 1 in 10 people in the U.S. has a rare disease. 4. Genetic conditions affect people of all ages and ethnic groups. Some genetic conditions are more common in certain ethnic groups. 5. All diseases or medical conditions have a genetic component (except trauma). https://globalgenes.org/raredaily/rare-disease-facts-and-figures/ 1. One in 10 Americans is living with a rare disease. 2. Approximately 80 percent of rare diseases are not acquired; they are inherited. They are caused by mutations or defects in genes. 3. Rare disease affects between 25-30 million people in the United States and approximately 30 million people in the European Union. 4. Orphan or rare diseases are often not...

Nanopores could map small changes in DNA that signal big shifts in cancer https://phys.org/news/2017-04-nanopores-small-dna-big-shifts.html Excerpt: "Detecting cancer early, just as changes are beginning in DNA, could enhance diagnosis and treatment as well as further our understanding of the disease. A new study by University of Illinois researchers describes a method to detect, count and map tiny additions to DNA called methylations, which can be a warning sign of cancer, with unprecedented resolution. The method threads DNA strands through a tiny hole, called a nanopore, in an atomically thin sheet of material with an electrical current running through it. The study was published in the inaugural issue of the journal npj 2D Materials and Applications, a new journal from Nature Press. "One or a few methylations is not a big deal, but if there are many of them and they are packed close together, then it's bad," said study leader Jean-Pierre Leburton, a professor of ...

Epigenetic Computer Program ‘CancerLocator’ Detects and Pinpoints Cancer http://www.whatisepigenetics.com/epigenetic-computer-program-cancerlocator-detects-pinpoints-cancer/ Excerpt: "What if instead of invasive cancer tests, scientists could run a blood sample through a computer program and not only detect whether cancer is present or not, but pinpoint where in the body it’s located? This technology, harnessed by a program called CancerLocator, could potentially be ready in a year. In a recent study published in Genome Biology, researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) developed a computer program that identifies specific epigenetic patterns, or a combination of chemical marks on DNA, that are associated with certain cancers. The tool functions by measuring circulating tumor DNA in blood and comparing epigenetic marks to a database. “Non-invasive diagnosis of cancer is important, as it allows the early diagnosis of cancer, and the earlier the cancer is c...

How to make a cave fish in just a few thousand years http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/how-make-cave-fish-just-few-thousand-years Excerpt: "How long does it take for a cave fish to evolve from an open-water swimmer? Only a few thousand years, according to a new study. Scientists used to think that ice age glaciers covering northern Europe had prevented fish from colonizing the continents’ caves. Such species were thought to live no farther north than Pennsylvania’s Nippenose Valley. But a new cave-dwelling fish discovered in southern Germany 2 years ago is turning that assumption on its head. The pale, tiny fish with long, whiskerlike barbs sprouting from its head (above) is a new species of loach, as yet unnamed. It’s also the first cave fish to be found in Europe, 760 kilometers farther north than those in Pennsylvania.    Until 12,000 years ago, Europe and its caves were buried beneath glacial ice, which blocked any connection between above- and underground waterways. ...

Octopuses Frequently Edit Their Own Genes https://www.labroots.com/trending/plants-and-animals/5723/octopuses-frequently-edit-own-genes Excerpt: "Cephalopods, the branch of animals dealing primarily with octopuses and squids, are much more unique than previously thought. While they’ve long been understood to have a far-reaching sense of intelligence, no one would have guessed that they had the ability to influence their own genes. On the other hand, that’s exactly what researchers found out before publishing a study in the journal Cell. Apparently, cephalopods are capable of interfering with the process where DNA gets transcribed into RNA. This little act of interference and re-coding causes ribosomes to interpret the modified RNA the way they would normally interpret non-modified RNA, and hence, the creature manages to influence its own protein production. Interestingly, this gene-editing ability leads to quite a few genetic variations in the cephalopod community, as even the sli...

FDA approves first direct-to-consumer genetic risk tests https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-04-fda-direct-to-consumer-genetic.html Excerpt: "(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first direct-to-consumer genetic health risk tests. Known as the 23andMe Personal Genome Service Genetic Health Risk tests, they assess a person's inherited risk for 10 diseases and conditions. "Consumers can now have direct access to certain genetic risk information," said Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "But it is important that people understand that genetic risk is just one piece of the bigger puzzle, it does not mean they will or won't ultimately develop a disease." The tests may be used to "make decisions about lifestyle choices or to inform discussions with a health care professional," the agency said in a news release. The tests derive DNA from a saliva sample, whic...

Epigenetic regulation of face formation https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-03-epigenetic-formation.html Excerpt: "Each face is unique, even though the genes controlling facial shape are almost identical in every individual. Filippo Rijli and his team at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) have discovered an epigenetic mechanism that regulates face morphogenesis. During early development, the neural crest cells that give rise to the various facial structures maintain chromatin plasticity, with all the genes involved remaining poised to respond to local cues. Once the cells are exposed to these environmental signals, a switch from a poised to an active chromatin state occurs, inducing position specific transcriptional programs that give rise to the chin, cheekbones or forehead. A pronounced forehead, a button nose, high cheekbones or almond-shaped eyes – each face is unique, despite the fact that the genes controlling the shape of craniofacial structures ...