Genome complexity: mechanism stopped evolving (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, May 09, 2016, 19:20 (2901 days ago) @ dhw


> dhw:If I accept the possibility of your God starting life and evolution, I can hardly be accused of ignoring origins. ...Here are the facts as we know them: life started, vast numbers of organisms evolved through vast numbers of innovations, most died out but humans are here, along with the duck-billed platypus, the weaverbird's nest, and my dear friends the ants. There are various ways in which these facts can be linked in a pattern. You have offered one, and I have offered an alternative which seems to me to bind all these sections together.-I'm pointing out one aspect of your narrative: first life started with an early genome (DNA plus modifying parts) at time zero. It is still here. Continuum. The rest is talk around the issue. I know Darwin skipped origin and yes evolution follows, but there is no gap in the presence of the genome.. Continuum. All discussion must cover all of the continuum.
 
> dhw: Your comment: Note, no explanation for why things are the way they are.
> 
> Exactly. We can only speculate, draw our different patterns, and see how far they do or do not fit the facts as we observe them. I point out the gaps in yours, and you point out the gaps in mine. New facts are coming to light all the time - and you do a fantastic job in keeping us informed of them. It seems that the more facts we learn, the less clear the overall picture becomes, but on we go. Endlessly fascinating…and a tribute to the indomitability of the human spirit.-Thank you and things become more and more clear to me. I'm sorry for your fuzziness.