Science Refutes Creationism

Plant germ cells also go through methylation reprogramming - and functionally it is essential https://www.technologynetworks.com/cell-science/news/breakthrough-study-reveals-new-insight-into-immortal-plant-cells-295637 Excerpt: "A new study has revealed an undiscovered reprogramming mechanism that allows plants to maintain fitness down the generations. The John Innes Centre team led by Dr Xiaoqi Feng made the discovery when studying germ cells - cells specialised for sexual reproduction - in flowering plants. Germ cells are often referred to as “immortal” because they can pass their genetic material through the generations. They have been the subject of much scientific scrutiny. This study aimed to solve a long-term debate on whether the germ cells in plants undergo an event of DNA methylation reprogramming at each reproductive cycle. DNA methylation is a modification of DNA, which changes the activity of DNA without changing the genetic sequence. It is a cornerstone epi-genetics ...

An epigenetic seesaw mechanism works like an analog regulator https://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-017-4353-7 Excerpt from abstract: " Background DNA methylation at promoters is largely correlated with inhibition of gene expression. However, the role of DNA methylation at enhancers is not fully understood, although a crosstalk with chromatin marks is expected. Actually, there exist contradictory reports about positive and negative correlations between DNA methylation and H3K4me1, a chromatin hallmark of enhancers. Results We investigated the relationship between DNA methylation and active chromatin marks through genome-wide correlations, and found anti-correlation between H3K4me1 and H3K4me3 enrichment at low and intermediate DNA methylation loci. We hypothesized “seesaw” dynamics between H3K4me1 and H3K4me3 in the low and intermediate DNA methylation range, in which DNA methylation discriminates between enhancers and promoters, marked by H3K4me1 and H3K4m...

Evolutionary biologists are surprised - Mice are able to see colors https://neurosciencenews.com/mouse-color-vision-8197/ Excerpt from abstract:" The M5 Cell: A Color-Opponent Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cell Highlights •M5 cells are a morphologically and functionally distinct unique ipRGC type •They have both melanopsin responses and chromatically opponent cone-based signals •They receive color-opponent signal (UV-ON, green-OFF) via Types 6–9 bipolar cells •M5 cells innervate the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) Summary Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) combine direct photosensitivity through melanopsin with synaptically mediated drive from classical photoreceptors through bipolar-cell input. Here, we sought to provide a fuller description of the least understood ipRGC type, the M5 cell, and discovered a distinctive functional characteristic—chromatic opponency (ultraviolet excitatory, green inhibitory). Serial electron microsc...

lncRNAs might function as barcodes for identifying genomic addresses for maintaining cellular states http://www.lncrnablog.com/lncrnas-might-function-as-barcodes-for-identifying-genomic-addresses-for-maintaining-cellular-states/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork Excerpt:"Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in diverse biological processes, including embryonic stem cell (ESC) maintenance. However, their functional mechanisms remain largely undefined. Here, researchers from TU Dresden show that the lncRNA Panct1 regulates the transient recruitment of a putative X-chromosome-encoded protein transient octamer binding factor 1 (TOBF1), to genomic sites resembling the canonical Oct-Sox motif. TOBF1 physically interacts with Panct1 and exhibits a cell-cycle-specific punctate localization in ESCs. At the chromatin level, this correlates with its recruitment to promoters of pluripotency genes. Strikingly, mutating an octamer-like...

Cellular programming by 3D folding of the DNA - Incredibly complex mechanism behind the cell differentiation https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-three-dimensional-dna-important-epigenetic-mechanisms.html Excerpt: "During differentiation of pluripotent stem cells to cardiomyocytes, the three-dimensional folding of the DNA reorganizes itself. This reorganization of the DNA architecture precedes and defines important epigenetic patterns. A team lead by private lecturer Dr. Ralf Gilsbach and Stephan Nothjunge, who both conduct research at the University of Freiburg in the Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology headed by Prof. Dr. Lutz Hein, have come to this conclusion. The results suggest that the genome's spatial organization is an important switch for defining cell types, thereby representing a very promising starting point for future reprogramming strategies. The team recently published its results in the scientific journal Nature Communications...

Due to Rapid Human DNA Degradation Rare Diseases Are Increasing in Frequency https://www.munichre.com/topics-online/en/2015/02/rare-diseases Human DNA is rapidly degrading. The article below puts quite a bit of figures on the table. As a result of genetic deterioration, there is a huge spectrum of rare genetic diseases. These are not weeded out from the population by any kind of selection, but as the article says, the number of rare diseases is rapidly growing. By 2020, about 10% of people will carry at least one disease-causing genetic mutation. In Europe, this is about 42 million people, over 400 million in Asia and some 52 million in North America. There are so many diseases caused by genetic mutations that the medical industry is not able to handle them all. When a certain genetic disease is affected by a relatively small proportion of the population, pharmaceutical companies are not economically viable to develop treatment for rare illness. This causes problems for society. The to...

The sophisticated mechanisms behind the cell differentiation reveal the fallacies of the evolutionary theory There are at least 37 trillion cells in a human body. They can roughly be classified into two hundred cell types that our body needs for different tissue types to produce the necessary proteins and to handle several, e.g. metabolism related tasks. All of our cells have exactly the same DNA sequences (only brain neurons and T cells controlled by the immune defense system make an exception). How does the cell differentiation occur? Why does the skin cell have a completely different identity than a bone cell? Both have exactly the same DNA, so it is clear that the DNA sequences do not determine the task or function of the cell. Differentiation of the cells begins already during embryonic development. The process is called epigenetic reprogramming. If all of the epigenetic markers on the DNA are wiped out of the cell, it becomes a pluripotent stem cell capable of differentiating int...

Rapid ecological adaptation points to Design and Creation If the emergence of a new species of birds does not take more than a couple of generations, there is evidence for Design and Biblical creation, the flood and the subsequent rapid formation of biodiversity. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171124084320.htm Excerpt: "Researchers previously assumed that the formation of a new species takes a very long time, but in the Big Bird lineage it happened in just two generations, according to observations made by the Grants in the field in combination with the genetic studies." We can observe everywhere the rapid ecological adaptation of organisms, based primarily on epigenetic gene regulation caused by diet type, climate and various stressors, which also causes genetic changes. However, most DNA sequence modifications result in genetic errors that lead to DNA degradation. The change is therefore not about mutations and natural selection, but due to mechanism-based ec...