[Episode 30] Think you know about DNA? Come explore with us this miniature book of directions! We’ll look at things everyone learns, and then fact check claims to see how reality matches up. Then we’ll hear about the largest of the dog kind: the wolf.
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DNA in the Bible
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16 KJV
You aren’t likely to see many other versions translating with this meaning, most will say it is “my days” being written in God’s book, but that doesn’t mean anyone is wrong.
We ran out of time to mention this on the podcast, but one of the other cool things about DNA is the ability it has to be read in more than one way. You can start at one end and get directions, then turn around and read it backwards for a whole new set of instructions!
The same God who designed DNA designed the Bible. Should we expect him to give us something less complex and rich with meaning?
Facts List
One copy of the Human Genome!
I was a little surprised that more top quality websites didn’t have a list like we wanted to mention. About.com is the one we used and it has some silly video auto-playing after you scroll down a ways.
Correction: When I tried to re-find the page I’d run into saying we only have one in 1,000 DNA letters different from any other person and ran into this:
People are not as alike as scientists once thought by The Tech Museum of Sanford
I love what they point out and they even use the same cookbook recipe analogy. I just wish people were this honest about the numbers comparing humans and chimps.
So, it looks like the About page is closer to the known consensus on our percentage of similarity between humans than I’d thought.
Human Chimp Similarities
To find people honest about how different we are from primates, I went to SearchCreation.org.
Since this is such an active area of study, I tried to find the most recent information on the subject. The Institute for Creation Research has an article from 2013 that I used for my stats.
Turns out this is one of the topics they are taking on directly.
And there’s a report in the newest edition of their Acts & Facts magazine that wasn’t up online yet. Of course, I didn’t sit down to enjoy my print copy until after recording, but Jeffrey P. Tomkins, Ph.D. says he expects the stats to support “no more than 86%” similarity between us and chimpanzees.
Electric DNA
It was exciting to run into this tidbit about DNA. Dr. Jonathan Sarfati did a report on Electric DNA for Creation Magazine. Fun stuff!
Junk DNA
Want to find out more of what we are discovering about these long undervalued sections of DNA?
Creationists have had “long-held predictions” that we would find these parts were actually useful.
More nails in the coffin of ‘junk DNA’ at Creation Ministries International
Junk DNA Myth Continues Its Demise at ICR
DNA Folding
It would be great if you also visit the page from Science News.org we watched this video on, but to make sure you don’t miss it, I’m adding the video in right here. It’s seven 1/2 minutes well spent (the minute after that is credits):
ICR has an article on how Three-Dimensional DNA Code Defies Evolution
“Yet another noteworthy feature of this new report is the fact that the failed theory of evolution was not given any credit whatsoever for accomplishing any of this amazing complexity.”
There wasn’t anything about evolution in the Origami video, either!
Wolves
As usual, most of the basic information came from library, but you can find out about
- The wolves of Yellowstone here at Yellowstone Park.org
- The Coywolf of the eastern USA at PBS.org
- Where wolves fit in to the Dog Kind Noah would have recognized at Answers in Genesis. This article includes the bit about an Ice Age cemetery including a wolf-like creature.
PS
I knew it was going to be tough nailing down facts in such an active area of science. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite this difficult. Plus, it turns out the story we got from this video about how the wolves have saved Yellowstone’s river banks is actually a lot more complicated than the original story let on (follow the link right under the video to find out).
You’d think I’d learn to always question scientific stories, but when it’s hard to see how something forwards a worldview agenda, I tend to forget to keep my skeptical glasses on!
