I was having a discussion with a discussion recently, and an argument which caught my attention was raised.
quote:
Thus the new genomic foundations of biology were no longer as convenient. So much DNA rearrangement within normal cellular processes proved that they are not fixed structures and cells can manipulate their own DNA. That means there are no genomic units to life. Thus the cell is no longer a Cartesian duality, meaning separate molecules as information carriers, and a separate set up for carrying out that information. Or the whole cell participates in the cellular process.
Now, the main thing about this that confounded me was the claim that cells can manipulate their own DNA. It's not a concept that I am familiar with. The only example I can think of in which cells come remotely close to manipulating their cells is the process of crossing over in meiosis, but that scenario doesn't fit the description given.
I scoured google for some scientific literature on the issue, but I came up empty handed. (It's possible that my search terms are inadequate)
My question is : Does a cellular process exist which deliberately alters the structure of the genome? I'd like to know what you guys think. My personal suspicion is that this creationist is either fabricating the claim, or misrepresenting data as they are known to do. I also fail to see how this claim---even if it was true---could be used as evidence for evolution, but that's a bit of a side thought. I am very curious about the possible existence of such a process.
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