Mutations (continued)

            I want to explore mutations in DNA further because there is a smoking gun hidden in this information.
Mutations are changes in a genomic sequence, which is the entire hereditary information of an organism.
            In the living cell, all DNA undergoes frequent chemical change, especially when it is being replicated. Most of the changes are quickly repaired. Those that are not result in a mutation.
            Fortunately, mutations are rare, estimated at 1 in every 10 million duplications of a DNA molecule. Our bodies contain about 100 trillion cells, so odds are we all have some mutated cells.
             So to be clear, a mutation is a result of a mistake in the DNA. They are responsible for many genetic defects such as: hemophilia,albinism and certain kinds of cancer and brain malfunction. These mutations can be caused by radiation or copying errors during replication.
              Here's where it gets real interesting. All evolution theory depends on these mutations to occasionally be beneficial. Why, because if these mistakes never happened, we would have never evolved beyond single cell organisms, such as bacteria.
            Are we to believe that random mistakes in the DNA, which have disastrous affects on the host organism , led to wings, eyes and intelligence? How do scientist explain this contradiction? Is it possible for mistakes in the dna replication to somehow evolve complex conscious beings? Does this not PROVE a consciousness intentionally altered the CHANGE in duplication to enable complex life to evolve. For life to evolve as complex as it is due to mistakes in the DNA replication is beyond comprehension . The odds would be tremendous, like winning the lottery every day.
          
         As I am writing this chapter, the Wall Street Journal printed a blog from some comedienne, Ricky Gervais titled "Why I am an atheist", I left a link below. I took the time to read it and he believes that science disproves the existence of God. He ,like many atheists, never talk about the actual science but pick apart religious documents, like the bible, as their proof of atheism. The bible should not be taken literally as it was written, in metaphor, thousands of years ago for uneducated people to understand their world and their place in it. For example: Saying the world was created in 7 days of coarse that cannot be true, there were no days in the beginning. But to say the world was created from the BIG Bang from nothing is a scientific fact. The Bible could have said"Let there be light and let it be both a particle and a wave,also let be mass less and self propelled.
          It is important to note that when scientists write a paper, they cannot mention anything meta-physical in their theories of how nature works.It is purely political. One has to use your own imagination and intelligence to read between the lines of scientific information.
from-ricky-gervais-why-im-an-atheist/
reference

Origin of life part 2 DNA

           DNA, the hereditary material in all living cells that carries the information to duplicate itself.Every human being has their own unique DNA code. The code is made up of four chemical bases:
            G- guanine
            A-aenine
            T-thymine
            C-cytosine.

             The order of the basis determines the information available for building and maitaining an organism. For example: The 24 letters of the alphabet can be rearrange to write everything ever written in English.
            Basically what we are examining is information, the blueprint to make another similar organism. But it doesn't do that by itself. It is necessary for enzymes to exist, various types of proteins that drive the chemical reaction required for a particular action.
             So the enzyme is the worker, taking it's orders from the information on the DNA and performs perfectly what is required of it.
              Now, we have the info and the enzymes that read the info and do what it says. A question that I have and could not find an answer to was: How could the information and the workers evolve seperately from DNA but need each other to replicate life? How does it know to do that?
              A piece of DNA that dictates a particular trait is called a gene.The amount of info in DNA is staggering, a DNA strand is only 10 atoms wide but if you stretched out the strands in your body it would be about 500 million miles long.This is all the information to build your bones,eyes,heart and every other part and function of your body.
             One of the mysterious of science is how  identical cells,with the same DNA, will divide to form your heart while others form the other body parts.
              One theory is that there are switches that turn some genes on while turning some off. Where are these swithches? Until scientist find them, I will submit this as evidence of design.
             You were conceived when an egg from your mother and a sperm cell from your father met to give you 23 chromozones from your mother and the same from your father. This have you your own genetic code. There has never been ,in all history, anyone like you.
              If a problem occurs in the process, the new cells, if they survive ,can cause problems.These are called mutations. Here is a real smoking gun as far as I am concrned: Some mutations are beneficial. This is the basis of all evolution theory, a beneficial mutation that allows an organism to develope capabilities it's ancestor did not posses.
              A mutation is a mistake, a G where it should have been a T. So how can a mistake in the blueprint lead to a benifit in the organism?Can a bunch of mistakesin DNA from the first One cell organism ,all the way to us ,be just mindless luck.
              So, maybe all mutations are not mistakes but an improvement in the design.
Reference #1
reference #2
reference #3

           

Origin of Life. Part 1

           The origin of life and the origin of the universe are similar in that scientists have many theories but no provable answers for either origin.
           What is life?It is carbon and water based, has a capacity to grow and reproduce.The great mystery in science is the process by which life originated on Earth from non-living matter.
            The earliest evidence for life on Earth are fossilized mats of bacteria, that have been analyzed to be about 3.4 billion years old.This type of bacteria is still around now and have survived and thrived for 3.4 billion years and have the same basic structure and chemistry.Even though this bacteria are single cell, while we have billions, their structure,chemistry and reproductive process are so complex,scientist say they could not be possibly be first life.Scientist theorize an intermittent process between non-living matter and bacteria. So far, none have been found.
            There are many theories for the origin of life.One of the oldest and since  discredited is Spontaneous generation. Their premise was that life could be produced from decaying organic matter. For example:maggots would magically appear on dead meat. This was disproven when it was demonstrated that flies laid eggs in the meat which gave birth to maggots.Scientists have tried everything to produce life from non-living matter. They have tried to duplicate the chemistry that may have existed in pools of water billions of years ago. When that didn't work, they shot electricity through it, they shot micro waves through it. Nothing, during all recorded history, there has never been a case of a living thing produced by anything other than another living thing.
             A current theory is organic molecules raining down from outer space, but the one that interest me the most is the quantum theory of life.This theory suggests that quantum mechanics enabled life to emerge directly from the atomic world, without the need for  complex chemistry. We have looked at the crazy, magical quantum world,(see"A Smoking Gun).and the answer may lay there in some way.
             Next , we will look at DNA,that blueprint for all life and direct evidence of design.
reference #1
reference#2

Building the Nest part 2

           What have we examined so far?After a few billion years of the elements smashing into each other and being tugged by gravity, we have the Earth ready for life to arrive on the scene.
            Mindless elements with no will of their own, somehow gain a will.What am I saying?Think of a rock. It is made up of many elements, it will stay in the same spot for eternity unless a external force moves it. That rock will sit there unless wind or some other collection of elements hits it.
            Life has a will of it's own. It will change direction according to it's needs. But somehow made of the same elements as the rock.Where is the connection between physics and biology?
            Next we will examine the origin of life.

Building the Nest

            I have been itching to get into the origin of life but first I want to elaborate on the environment that allowed life to flourish.
            10 billion years after the Big bang, our Solar System,which is our sun and the other planets, began to form from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud made up of mostly hydrogen. See " A Smoking Gun).This happened in the outer reaches of our galaxy, The Milky Way.
http://www.godandscience.org/images/spiralgalaxym81.jpg
            Lucky for us, our Solar System's location,within the galaxy,is a factor in the origin of life on Earth. Our Solar System rotates at the same speed of the spiral arms of the galaxy and rarely passes thru them.This means our solar system is not too close to the other stars and not affected by the intense radiation from supernovas, stars blowing up.
            Of the planets in our Solar System, only Earth has the proper environment for life to thrive. The Earth is the 3rd planet from the sun and Venus,the 2nd planet from the sun, has been called our sister planet.This is because the mass, density and volume are similar.The similarity ends there.
             Venus has no surface water and a toxic heavy atmosphere made up of almost entirely of carbon dioxide and clouds of sulphuric acid. This causes a catastrophic greenhouse affect as sunlight is trapped and cannot radiate back into space.Yet,this deadly hell is the most beautiful object when looking up at the early evening sky.
              Mars,although smaller in size and mass, is the only other planet in the Solar System that could support life but it lacks a magnetic field like Earth has, that stops it's atmosphere from being stripped away by the solar wind. Recent observations have indicated that Mars may have frozen water.It is also the best bet for eventual colonization, which may become necessary in the future , to preserve life if a cosmic catastrophe would make the Earth uninhabitable.
               The other planet I want to mention is Jupiter. It is a massive gas giant dwarfing the Earth and revolves around the sun at the outer reaches of the Solar System. I want to point out that recent observations of other solar systems, show massive gas giants similar to Jupiter BUT revolve close to the star.This is important because Jupiter's tremendous gravity protects the Earth by capturing comets and asteroids from entering the inner Solar System ,inhabited by Earth,Mars,Venus and Mercury, and flings them back out into space. This action spares us from being bombarded by comets traveling through out the galaxy. Without Jupiter comets and asteroids would collide with our planet 1000 times more frequently.
                For the first 100 million years , the Earth was totally inhospitable to life. Rain was a corrosive acid and the atmosphere of sulphurous fumes were very similar to conditions on Venus.
                Lucky for us, after about 15 million years of Earth's existence, a large object the size of a planet, smashed into the Earth throwing large pieces into near space.After 100 million years these pieces coalesced and formed our moon.This event enabled the Earth to stop wobbling and settled into a stable rotation. The moon also helped create our weather and tides. Scientist have concluded that without the moon, there would be no life on Earth. None of the other inner planets,Mars,Venus and Mercury, have a satellite.
                Now we come to water,H2O,this most essential molecule made op of elements of hydrogen and oxygen.While water may exist, according to recent scientific observations,on Mars and Venus and even the Moon, the amount is minuscule compared to the amount of water on Earth.Over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by water.The current scientific theory is that life originated in water.It is essential for life as our bodies are made of 70% water.
               Where did it come from?Why is it so plentiful on Earth but rare as diamonds in the rest of the Solar System. Currently there are Two scientific theories: 1(Water rich asteroids and comets raining down on the early Earth). 2 There was a thick blanket of hydrogen reacting with oxides in the Earth's mantle to form lakes and seas.
                To be continued in the next post.
Origin of water

A smoking gun!

           Up til now, the evidence I presented can be contradicted by atheists as a series of lucky breaks, no matter how unlikely.But now I think I have found direct evidence of Intelligent Design.
            In the last chapter we covered how the first elements ,hydrogen and helium, which are created in the belly of the first stars that formed from dust and gases, with the help of gravity.The heavier elements such as:carbon,nitrogen,oxygen,silicon,iron and many others are created from the tremendous heat and energy of a supernova.These are stars that blow up in cosmic explosions sending dust, gases made of hydrogen and helium across the universe.This stuff congregates with stuff from other supernovas forming new stars and now the heavier elements are formed. These elements formed the earth and us.In essence we are made of star stuff.
           What a beautiful system and that evidence by itself could point to design.But it really gets weird when we look inside the world of atoms that are the building blocks of the elements ,which are the building blocks of everything we see and touch.It is the quantum world.
            The quantum or atomic world has different laws that govern them. For example, sub-atomic particles can appear in Two different places at the same time.Scientific observations have shown that sub-atomic particles can go from one spot to another, without crossing the intervening space. In the realm of quantum physics, just observing something actually influences the physical process taking place.
            What's going on here? Is this some kind of magic?This is real, I have left links to show I am not making this up. The atomic world is meta-physical. The physical laws of Newton and Einstein do not apply here.
             Where is the smoking gun?The quantum world is the foundation of our world.Could some of these meta-physical properties seep into our Newtonian world.How could this wild ,magic world be our foundation, without some intelligence controlling it?
What is quantum Physics
How did the elements form

A Star is Born!

            We have explored what is known about the "Big Bang" , which is the current scientific theory for the beginning of the Universe and the immediate few seconds after.We have examined gravity and light, which I submit is further evidence of design.
             Our next examination will be the beginning of the stars,galaxies and the basic elements.
              After the "Big Bang" the Universe was homogeneous, as the particles formed from the Bang flew out symmetrically away from each other.Now ,before I go on, let it be clear,if the sub-atomic particles continued this way the Universe would have evaporated.But  a lucky event happened or maybe intervention. Scientific observations reveal that tiny clumps of matter began to form in the early Universe. Scientist have concluded that these tiny clumps of matter started to be attracted together due to temperature differences of less than one millionth of a degree.This caused density variations, which are the seeds of all structure in the Universe, to enable our friend gravity to take over and attract gas and dust.
              In about 200 million years, there was enough matter to clump together that the temperature grew hot enough for fusion to begin and the first stars began to glow and the first element to form ,hydrogen.
              Where did that slight change in temperature,in the early Universe,originate?There is no answer to that, it just happened. Without that slight change of temperature of 1 millionth of a degree, the galaxies,stars, the earth and us would not exist.
               Chaos or design, you decide.
Reference: galaxy formation

"Let there be light"

    Reference #1  
          The next entity that I am going to get into gives me a headache. Doing research on this subject, I found conflicting data from the scientific community.When you get into quantum physics, I don't think even scientist and physicists understand it fully. I try to interpret to make it simple enough for you to get the basic understanding of another force, like gravity, which we  all take for granted but is extremely complex.That entity is light.
           Scientist have concluded that light is made of something they call a photon.A photon, according to current scientific theory is a particle with out mass. Mass is anything that has matter, something that we can see and touch all the way to the microscopic level.It also acts as a wave and a particle.There is no other entity that has both of these qualities.To give you an example, sound travels as a wave and electricity travels like a particle. Think of a billiard ball as a particle and the ocean as wave. Scientist call this phenomena, wave-particle duality. Scientist always give mysterious forces in nature, that they don't understand ,a name.
            Think about that for a second.. Light is carried by something that doesn't exist because it is made out of nothing. Even electrons have mass, which orbit the nucleus of atoms and carry electricity.
            Light or photons,which ever term you like, travels at the universes top speed limit of 186,000 miles per second and is self propelled. Anything with matter or mass needs some kind of external force to propel it but light propels itself. How does it do that? Scientists say it is self propelled because it has no mass.That's a pretty weak explanation if you ask me. They don't know for sure and theory about light changes every fifty years or so because they have no idea.
             Finally, there is no clear explanation of where photons or light comes from or how it came into existence.It is just there to use as we see fit.
\             More evidence, I say, of intelligence.

Review

           In reviewing, lets take a look at the evidence so far. We have discovered that the Universe had a beginning.This is significant because it was produced out of nothing, it is as simple as that.There are several scientific theories as to what may have caused it, but because of political correctness ,within the scientific community,nowhere in scientific reports is it even mentioned that some kind of intelligent intervention may be involved. I understand there is no direct evidence of some kind of intelligent intervention but neither is there evidence of current scientific theory.
          The growth and survival of the universe shows evidence of intervention.Gravity and other forces working smoothly and flawlessly for billions of years starting with the Big bang.
           If you reject Intelligent Design, then you have to accept the other choice which is Chaos.Every time science opens one door to the secrets of the universe, they find ten more closed doors. The more they discover, the more they discover they don't know.What they do discover is the tremendous complexity of the universe starting with the Big Bang all the way to the creation of life.Could such complexity just be a lucky set of circumstances within a mindless, chaotic universe,everything happening perfectly all by itself?
          What or who causes these interventions, I have no idea. I think it is helpful, in considering Intelligent Design,to forget about an old man with a beard.Most believers in Chaos or atheist use the bible as proof, to them ,that we are just an accident of nature ,because it seems to contradict current scientific knowledge.The bible is written in metaphor, so the people of the time could understand.Much easier to say"Let there Be Light, then to write a volume on Quantum Physics.

Gravity,Dark Matter and Dark Energy

Reference to Dark Matter
            We have covered the common but mysterious force, gravity.There are two more mysterious forces related to gravity.Scientist believe they exist, even though they can't be seen or detected, because of their effect on galaxies and the universe as a whole.
            Dark Matter: Recent observations by scientists has led them to believe there must be way more mass or matter in the galaxies because the known mass that we can see and detect,does not account for the rotational speed of the galaxies or their velocity in clusters.
             In other words, all the matter that can be seen or detected is not enough to keep the galaxies from flying apart.Something else is holding the galaxies together.Scientists are baffled by this phenomena. So they have concluded that there must be something else, that can't be seen and gives off no radiation.. They have concluded that this mysterious dark matter exists because of the gravitational pull it exerts on normal stars and galaxies.They have given this invisible and undetectable force a name: Dark Matter.
            Dark Energy:When studying the universe over the last fifty tears, scientist have concluded that the universe is not only still expanding, but the expansion is accelerating.Nothing that is known accounts for this, as there is nothing but empty space between the galaxies.What is causing this repulsive force that is forcing the outer galaxies of the universe to rush away from each other.Scientist have no idea but have given this force a name: Dark Energy.
            Scientist have separated these forces that react with matter,gravity,dark matter and dark energy. Why are they separated?All three interact with matter but in different ways.What if  they are the same force?What if gravity can change it's strength according to the task it wants to accomplish.  Think of an engine in a car.It powers the wheels, the air conditioner and it generatesw it's own power. Three seperate tasks performed by a single entity.I know, this goes against Einstein's theory of relativity. But maybe gravity is more complex than first thought.
           So, what can we conclude from this?Strange forces ,that cannot be seen or detected with our most advanced  scientific instruments, determines the shape,size and the very existence of the universe we inhabit.
            More evidence that these forces are controlled by a higher intelligence. If it was just random, why does it work perfectly?
             What if dark matter interacted with the earth? We would be crushed. What if dark energy interacted with the earth? We would be torn apart.
            This is further evidence that the universe is not ruled by chaos but by intelligent design. How can it be , that these undetectable , mysterious forces which  work with such precision exist for our benefit by a lucky chance?
             Think about it, these forces have a purpose.
Reference # 2
Gravity ref.
pic of galaxy
Pic of gases held by dark matter

The force that keeps us together.

So far ,we have covered the beginning of the universe with the "Big Bang" and what happened a few seconds after the Big Bang.
                 After the initial bang ,a mysterious force intervened which became vital for the creation of the galaxies, the stars , the earth and us. A force common in our everyday life and without it, space and time would cease to exist and us along with it. Scientist don't know if it was created during the Big Bang or existed before. We call it gravity.
                 Gravity, an attractive force that always acts between particles of matter. It is stable and predictable, it is invisible. We know it exists because of it's effect on everything. You cannot shield yourself from it and it's power can penetrate anything even across the entire universe.
                 Scientist have concluded that if gravity was just a little bit stronger or weaker the universe could not support life or even exist. It is just perfect for us.
                  Another piece of evidence of design in nature or just a lucky chance of this force originating out of Chaos, you have to think about that. It is impossible to calculate the odds that one throw of the dice would produce this perfect and powerful force of nature.
                  To be honest, scientist have many theories to try to explain this, such as: multiple universes, where there are trillions of universes that pop in and out of existence and we are the lucky one in a trillion that blossomed.
                  So far, there is no evidence of multiple universes.There is only evidence of one, ours.

What is gravity?
Newton and the Apple
Gravity Warp

The Big Bang and seconds after.

Reference for origin of Universe
Artist pic of Big Bang
The Big bang Theory is the current scientific explanation for the creation of the Universe. It was created between 13 and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion of a subatomic thing that flung space,time, matter and energy in all directions at once.Everything, that we can see and touch came from an initial speck of infinite density.
             There are many theories how this could have happened.There is string theory, which is too complicated to go into here.Another is multi-universes but there is no more evidence of these theories than there is of, I am going to say it,a creator.
              The Big Bang theory has only been established within the last 50 years. Before that, most scientist believed that the universe was in a constant state for all time. Now they say it had a beginning. Think about that, from nothing came everything
             What happened after the Big Bang?We've established the beginning of everything with the Big Bang Theory.What happened right after, no one knows for sure. What is established is that the universe expanded much like a balloon expands when it is filled with air.
              The conditions within the early universe was total chaos.Extreme hot temperatures beyond imagination caused the sub-atomic particles to smash into each other.
               Now here's where it gets weird. According to current scientific theory, there were two substances, within the early universe, that destroyed each other when they collided.Scientist call them matter and anti-matter. Scientific models calculate that there should be a equal amount of matter and anti-matter. But they are baffled because if this was so, the early universe would have destroyed itself within the first seconds after the Big Bang
             Fortunately for us, there was a slight advantage in matter's favor, calculated at one part per billion. This enabled matter to survive and anti-matter destroyed. Now matter was able to survive and build the universe as we know it.
             This is where natural law was established. Any deviation, such as gravity stronger or weaker or the charge of electrons and more, the universe as we know it, could not be possible.
             Why the slight difference between matter and anti-matter. There is no answer.Could it be part of the natural process or could that be DESIGN, that a higher intelligence used to create everything.





After the Big Bang