The purpose of this thread is to discuss the evidence regarding mutations and whether they are really random or whether they are directed and guided by the cell or the organism and influenced by the environment.
This initial post is not intended to present evidence for either assertion, but to establish the basis for my challenging the accepted norm of RM + NS = Evolution. I feel there is sufficient reason to question whether mutations are truly random and that randomness is sufficient to explain the diversity of life we have here on Earth. So, in this post I will describe some of the observations that got me thinking about this subject and then we can discuss the experimental and observed evidence and see where it leads.
French zoologist Pierre-Paul Grass believed that
quote:
To explain evolution he instead thinks that you must look at the internal dynamics of living things.
So let’s begin with a brief description of what goes on within a living cell. I have heard living cells compared to the most advanced factories on Earth, but the more I learn about the cell the more I see that as an understatement. Part of what makes the cell so incredible is the scale. All these biochemical functions happen in a factory less that 1mm in size. Many cells are invisible to the naked eye yet carry on processes so complicated that there is still much we don’t know.
Proteins are manufactured by ribosomes using mRNA. Each protein is made up of an exact sequence of amino acids brought to the ribosome by a specific tRNA. Each protein has a specific function and is specifically suited to that function. The Golgi apparatus can then modify the protein, creating a molecular tag that is used to target the protein to a specific cellular location.
DNA replication is very critical and extremely precise. It uses a complex system of proteins, enzymes, and polymerases to break the DNA strands apart, create daughter strands and correct any errors. The process is exceptionally accurate, with less than 1 error every 1 billion nucleotides.
ATP is produced in precisely the quantities needed for cellular operation and is not stored by the cell. If the cell is deprived of the resources it needs for cellular respiration, it will die in a matter of just a few minutes. Protein pumps move resources, such as Na+ in and out of the cell. Cells throughout the organism can communicate with one another, ensuring resources are available where and when needed.
The DNA contains all necessary information for the growth and development of the organism. Look out over a cornfield and you will see that all the plants are about the same height, have developed in the same sequence and mature at about the same time. This is a highly regulated process. Even when hundreds of cell types are involved in an organism, they still manage to organize into tissues, organs and systems with incredible precision.
These cellular processes are taught in freshmen level biology and, of course, I have greatly abbreviated them. Advanced courses, such as Cellular Biology, spend the entire semester (sometimes two) discussing only cellular processes. What I have concluded is that cells are highly ordered and regulated. None of it is random or left to chance. When something goes wrong with the process it is detrimental to the cell and therefore to the organism. How do we rely on mistakes to produce improvement?
This is not an argument about irreducible complexity and I am not saying God-did-it. What I am suggesting is that random mutations may not be the all powerful driving force of evolution that they have been thought to be. Instead, it makes more sense that mutations, (and therefore adaptation) are directed by the cell and by cellular processes.
So, I would like to discuss the experimental and observed evidence for and against the idea that mutations are random and yet can still provide the needed resources for evolution to occur.
Defendez-vous bien!
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