One theory to rule them all

Cell Biology, invertebrate Anatomy, comparative vertebrate anatomy and plant biology. I was cautioned against this work load for good reason. It was a beast. Four upper level lab classes, four labs etc etc. The journey brought me from the forests to the swaps, from the tops of mountains to the depths of the seas.  And on this journey, amidst the fatigue, the isolation from my family and the camaraderie with some strange and incredible characters I found the theory.

One theory to rule them all,
one theory to find them,
one theory to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

Life’s Big Questions – Part 1

About a week ago we noticed a stink bug depositing eggs onto the glass outdoor surface of our back door.  It was a really cool sight to see.  After laying an egg the bug (yes indeed a true bug) would move itself slightly over and then after a few moments lay another one.  This went on for some time until a few dozen eggs were adhered to the glass.  In her final moments on the door the bug checked over the arrangement of eggs, almost appearing to count them, then flew off.

Yesterday the eggs were opened and there is now a clutch of tiny stink bug nymphs clumped on and around their empty eggs. Though they are still small, the nymphs are significantly larger that the eggs and when my youngest son saw this he asked, “How did the stink bugs get so big?” When he asked I simply told him, “Cell division and differentiation.”

I know what some of you may be thinking, “What a dumb answer to give and 8 year old.” I must say I totally agree and after I said it I immediately realized that a much better answer would have been; “Cell division and differentiation driven by molecular processes, specifically the reading of genetic information stored in DNA, which isn’t really “read” in a literary sense but decoded by molecular mechanisms driven by the physical and chemical environments of the cell.”

Yes that would have been a much better explanation.

The Essentials: Knots (Part 1)

Knots are interestingly used to describe human conditions in several different ways.  If you have a knot in your stomach it describes a feeling of nervousness perhaps due to an uncomfortable situation.  If you have knots in your shoulders you have muscular pain in your trapezius or scapula area which is often caused by tension, stress or overuse.  If you are a knot head urbandictionary.com says you are a person who has trouble thinking in a logical progression, this is usually caused by a profound amount of circular reasoning tying your brain into a knot.

These knotty conditions can be caused by many things but I have found all three are commonly brought on or associated with discussions around creation and evolution.  I know that I have experienced all three but today I’ll just concentrate on the first. The topic of creation and evolution can give you knots in your stomach.

I can’t count the number of times I have had a knot in my stomach over this topics.  One of the most significant  times was when, early in my days as a Christian, my biology professor said that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.  I’ve already described this event so I won’t go into its impact here (you can follow this link if you want to read about it).  I’ll just say that it made me really uncomfortable and even caused me to question if I could continue pursuing biology.

There have been other times that have been extremely uncomfortable.  There was a time I was invited to a small group meeting with a speaker who specialized in young earth creation apologetics. It became clear to me early in that evening that I was alone in the crowd in my disagreement with the speaker. That night, after I asked the speaker to consider the possibility that Genesis’s genre might not necessitate a literal six day creation, I was forcefully reprimanded by the speaker for not taking God’s word seriously and told that I was being worked on by the devil by another person in attendance.  Needless to say that was not a very comfortable evening. 

While they didn’t feel good at the time these moments have helped shape my perspective on the topic of creation and evolution. Maybe you have been uncomfortable at times reading this blog. Maybe this is a good thing.  Distress can be a good motivator.  We can be motivated to never encounter the offending condition again or we can be moved to examine the situation further.  In seeking the source of our discomfort we can learn about ourselves, including the strengths and weaknesses of our position. 

The Essentials: Of Mice and (Wo)men

In 2004 researcher Jonathon Tilly presented evidence that indicated an ability in mice to regenerate egg cells.  This finding flew in the face of the century old thought that mammalian females are born with a certain number of eggs and that no new eggs are produced.  In next month’s edition of the journal Nature Medicine Tilly will report experiments that show he and his team have found the same ability in human women.

That this similarity between mice and humans was found is not really that surprising.  Mice have similar genes and gene sequences as humans. The evolutionary explanation for this commonality is that humans and mice genes come from the same source DNA.  It would be expected then that similarities would be found both in sequence and function and that any differences that do exist between humans and mice are due to accumulated mutations.  This type of commonality can be seen to varying degrees in all organisms. The fewer the differences in sequences the closer organisms are related.

MPR had a story about the Tilly research this morning that you can read or listen to here. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=147344258

The Essentials: Light is useful for seeing and Essays are Useful for Reading

I experienced a lot of angst as a young believer and biology student. I can’t help but wonder if much of it could have been avoided if I would have looked into Dobzhanzky's essay. If I would have known then what I know now about the contents of the famous essay I may have been less troubled by my professor’s statement and perhaps I could have moved past it more quickly (and probably worried about something else).  However the conditions of that time created specific selective pressures that influenced my reading, thinking and praying and ultimately shaped me into who I am today.

I now present 3 things that I now know about "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light Of Evolution" (and some quotes from the essay to highlight the points). – Quotes from the essay are in italics. I also must say there really is no substitute for reading this essay and I highly recommend it.

1.       The essay is not hostile to the Bible or Christianity but rather endorses interacting with scripture and science in a sound and sustainable way.

Does the evolutionary doctrine clash with religious faith? It does not. It is a blunder to mistake the Holy Scriptures for elementary textbooks of astronomy, geology, biology, and anthropology. Only if symbols are construed to mean what they are not intended to mean can there arise imaginary, insoluble conflicts. As pointed out above, the blunder leads to blasphemy: the Creator is accused of systematic deceitfulness.

Moreover, in his worldview science and faith were not segregated in watertight compartments, as they are with so many people. They were harmoniously fitting parts of his worldview.

…biologic research shows no sign of approaching completion; quite the opposite is true. Disagreements and clashes of opinion are rife among biologists, as they should be in a living and growing science. Antievolutionists mistake, or pretend to mistake, these disagreements as indications of dubiousness of the entire doctrine of evolution. Their favorite sport is stringing together quotations, carefully and sometimes expertly taken out of context, to show that nothing is really established or agreed.

2.        Over 4 pages of essay some of the basic tenets of biological evolution are laid out by a man who understands the science including its history, intricacies and limits.

Seen in the light of evolution, biology is, perhaps, intellectually the most satisfying and inspiring science. Without that light it becomes a pile of sundry facts some of them interesting or curious but making no meaningful picture as a whole. 

There are no alternatives to evolution as history that can withstand critical examination. Yet we are constantly learning new and important facts about evolutionary mechanisms.

3.       OK this one doesn’t come from the essay itself but a thought I’ve had about that fateful biology lecture and my professor. It occurred to me that my professor used the quote to demonstrate two points. The first was explicit about the science and significance of Evolution. I’m confident that this was the main point. The second point is purely conjecture.  Maybe my professor used that specific essay title because he knew its contents and religious implications.  I know he was involved in some degree of a Christian faith tradition and maybe he was indirectly giving us a hint to go read that essay. Maybe he knew the anxiety that I, and other budding biologists, were feeling and wanted us to explore the essay in order to know that we were not along in our questions. Maybe he wanted us to know that there was a reasonable way to be Christian and Scientists. Maybe, or maybe not. It could have been God using that essay title and that would have been pretty cool too.