Genetics

From Heaven and Earth: Enhanced edition

What Is DNA?

Scientists have discovered an unmistakable language within all living things. Like a miniature library, DNA stores piles of information in extraordinary molecules that specify the details of everything from the shape of flower petals to the color of your eyes. A supremely intelligent Author and Life-Giver left His indelible message in every living thing.

Genetics and Interbreeding

The species on earth today descend from the original created kinds of Genesis 1. The many inter-species breedings that are possible today (e.g., zonkeys, wholphins), as well as the close similarities within biological groups (e.g., the canine group) that are distinct from one another, remind us of this fact. But exactly why the created kinds have fractured into many incompatible species has only been answered indirectly by creationists.

Hox Gene—Gaining or Losing Genetic Information?

Successful evolution requires the addition of new information and new genes that produce new proteins that are found in new organs and systems. Losing structures, or misplacing their development, should not be equated with the increased information that is needed to form novel structures and cellular systems.

Genetics and “Creating ” Life

“Minimal genomes” is the number of genes considered essential for a bacterium to survive in a nutrient-rich, stress-free and competitor-free environment in the lab. Evolutionists believe if the genes universal to all life can be determined then it’s just a matter of tinkering with the existing genetic information via mutations to go from goo to you.

Genetics Topics

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  Animal Genetics

  Does our growing understanding of animal genetics support evolutionary principles or special creation by a caring, intelligent Designer as the Bible proclaims?

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  DNA Similarities

  Do similarities in DNA between organisms suggest a common ancestor or a common Designer? Are chimps and humans actually 98% similar?

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  DNA Structure

  The iconic, complex double-helix structure of DNA displays the masterful design and creativity of the all-wise Creator.

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  Epigenetics

  Our physical makeup is determined by our genes, not our environment—right? The science of epigenetics is forcing scientists to rethink their assumptions.

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  Human Genome

  The exhaustive project of mapping the human genome has provided further evidence of biblical truths as presented in Genesis.

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  Information Theory

  Information only comes from other information. DNA is a complex information system, so it must have come from an information source—the mind of the Creator God!

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  “Junk” DNA

  Using evolutionary assumptions about life’s history, geneticists have branded vast sums of DNA as junk, but research is showing this DNA is far from useless.

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  Mitochondrial DNA

  Mitochondrial DNA research confirms that all humans alive today share common ancestors just a few thousand years ago as the Bible teaches.

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  Mutations

  Are mutations—copying errors in DNA—the driving force for biological evolution? Or do they represent the sad reality of a sin-cursed world?

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  Natural Selection

  Is natural selection, which uses existing information leading to varations in organisms, proof of information-adding, molecules-to-man evolution?

News About Genetics

• News

  Identical Twin Astronauts Show How Space Changes the Expression of Your DNA

  

  March 23, 2018 from Ken Ham’s Blog

  Apparently spending time in outer space can actually lead to long-term changes in your DNA.

• News

  Oldest Brit, “Cheddar Man” Was Dark-Skinned . . . or Was He?

  

  March 12, 2018 from Ken Ham’s Blog

  News headlines around the world proclaimed that the oldest known “Briton” (by secular dating methods) was dark-skinned, according to genetic analysis.

Articles About Genetics

• Semi-Technical Magazine Article

  Evolution’s Surprising New Critics

  

  July 1, 2018 from Answers Magazine

  Prominent scientists are speaking out against Darwinian evolution, and they’re not even creationists.

• Magazine Department Article

  They’re My Genes, and I’ll Edit Them If I Want To

  

  March 1, 2018 from Answers Magazine

  After years of predictions, gene editing is finally becoming a reality. The issues are complex, pitting human freedom against the risk of corrupting the DNA of future generations. Who should make these choices and oversee them?

• Magazine Article

  Are We Really That Different?

  

  Feb. 11, 2018 from Answers Magazine

  The latest craze is to learn what DNA tests reveal about family heritage. When an adoptive Christian family decided to look beneath the surface, however, they discovered a more amazing truth, providing powerful evidence that we are all one race, or “one blood,” just as the Bible teaches.

• In-Depth Article

  Does Human Evolutionary History Hang on a Sugar Tree?

  

  Oct. 6, 2017 from Answers in Depth

  Scientists report the biochemical footprint of a particular sugar polymer—a type that modern humans cannot make—has been found in an ancient African fossil.

• Technical Research Paper

  Response to “On the Creationist View on mtDNA”

  

  Aug. 23, 2017 from Answers Research Journal

  Frello criticizes papers that he hasn’t carefully read. Not surprisingly, his objections turn out to be unfounded.

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• Technical Research Paper

  On the Creationist View on mtDNA

  

  Aug. 23, 2017 from Answers Research Journal

  Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson claims to have documented a recent origin of humans, using mitochondrial DNA. A reader questions the results.

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• Do Humans Have Genes for Laying Eggs?

  

  Aug. 3, 2017 from A Response to Adam and the Genome

  In this article, we explore Venema’s claims in Adam and the Genome about genetic sequences that he thinks have lost their function.

• Finding Adam in the Genome: Part 3 of a Response to Chapter 2 of Adam and the Genome

  

  July 6, 2017 from A Response to Adam and the Genome

  Venema claims that the published, comprehensive genetic comparisons between humans and chimpanzees reveal a genetic identity of 95–98%.

• Finding Adam in the Genome: Part 2 of a Response to Chapter 2 (and Chapter 4) of Adam and the Genome

  

  June 29, 2017 from A Response to Adam and the Genome

  In our series, we’ve discovered ample support that evolutionists fit facts to conclusions. In this article, we’ll continue to explore whether it is true.

• Magazine Article

  Gene Editing and Designer Babies—Why the Future Desperately Needs Us

  

  April 30, 2017 from Answers Magazine

  The discovery of an easy way to “edit” genes may someday make it possible to manufacture “designer babies.”

• Magazine Department Article

  The Untold Story Behind DNA Similarity

  

  April 23, 2017 from Answers Magazine

  When you hear stories about the astonishing similarity between human and chimp DNA, there’s something they’re not telling you . . .

• Magazine Article

  Three Puzzles Evolution Can’t Solve

  

  Oct. 9, 2016 from Answers Magazine

  For more than a century Christians have looked for the scientific silver bullet that would destroy Darwinian evolution and prove biblical creation to be true.

• Semi-Technical In-Depth Article

  Just How Random Are Mutations?

  Aug. 18, 2016 from Answers in Depth

  Changes to the sequence of nucleotides (e.g., mutations) can alter the genetic information of the organism, which, in turn can alter its physical features

• Semi-Technical In-Depth Article

  How Are New Genes Made?

  April 21, 2016 from Answers in Depth

  Evolutionists conclude “the birth of new genes is an important motor of evolutionary innovation,” but how are new genes made?

• Technical Research Paper

  On the Origin of Eukaryotic Species’ Genotypic and Phenotypic Diversity

  April 20, 2016 from Answers Research Journal

  This study shows that created heterozygosity, together with natural processes that are observable, is sufficient to account for species’ diversity.

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• A Fresh Look at Human-Chimp DNA Similarity

  Dec. 30, 2015

  Creationist scientists Drs. Tomkins and Bergman came up with an overall DNA similarity between humans and chimps of around 81%—quite a difference!

• Technical Research Paper

  Using Taxonomically Restricted Essential Genes to Determine Whether Two Organisms Can Belong to the Same Family Tree

  Nov. 4, 2015 from Answers Research Journal

  How are all life forms connected? Are they linked by one giant family tree, a web, or a forest of family trees?

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• In-Depth Article

  Did Spiders Evolve Knees Through Gene Duplication?

  

  Oct. 31, 2015 from Answers in Depth

  Spiders were designed with two versions of the dachshund gene, one essential to knee formation, but spider knees did not evolve through gene duplication.

• Technical Research Paper

  Challenging the BioLogos Claim that a Vitellogenin (Egg-Laying) Pseudogene Exists in the Human Genome

  Oct. 21, 2015 from Answers Research Journal

  Interestingly, BioLogos is probably the only evolutionary group that puts such a high level of focus on this hypothesis as key evidence for evolution.

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• Technical Research Paper

  A Young-Earth Creation Human Mitochondrial DNA “Clock”: Whole Mitochondrial Genome Mutation Rate Confirms D-Loop Results

  Sept. 23, 2015 from Answers Research Journal

  New data agree with the expectations from D-loop results, further confirming the origin of humans within 6000 years and rejecting evolutionary timescales.

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• Magazine Article

  Testing the Limits

  

  July 1, 2015 from Answers Magazine

  Evolution would require an enormous amount of change. Modern laboratory experiments have tested bacteria’s ability to change. Is this ability truly unlimited?

• In-Depth Article

  Denisovan Gene Gave Tibetans Their High-Altitude Tolerance

  July 19, 2014 from Answers in Depth

  Tibetan natives ability to tolerate high-altitude conditions is a genetic inheritance obtained from mixing with the long-extinct Denisovan people.

• Semi-Technical In-Depth Article

  Chromosome Tales and the Importance of a Biblical Worldview

  June 18, 2014 from Answers in Depth

  When evidence is interpreted in a particular worldview, it can sound very convincing that the evidence supports that worldview.

• In-Depth Article

  Stop-or-Go DNA Codes Reveal Rampant Rule-Breaking in the Language of Life

  May 31, 2014 from Answers in Depth

  When does “stop” mean “go”? Surprisingly often! The DNA code common to all living things is not quite as uniform as previously thought.

• In-Depth Article

  Comb Jelly Genome Mystery Generates Confusion

  May 29, 2014 from Answers in Depth

  Jelly genome shakes the evolutionary tree of life to its roots.

• In-Depth Article

  Genetic Links Between Lion Lineages Traced to Common Ancestor

  April 5, 2014 from Answers in Depth

  Beautiful Barbary lion, now extinct, could be “re-built” and restored from its closest cousins.

• Technical Research Paper

  The Human GULO Pseudogene—Evidence for Evolutionary Discontinuity and Genetic Entropy

  April 2, 2014 from Answers Research Journal

  Modern genomics provides the ability to screen the DNA of a wide variety of organisms to scrutinize broken metabolic pathways. This data has revealed wide-spread genetic entropy in human genomes.

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• In-Depth Article

  “Field-Evolved Resistance” Leaves Rootworms to Ravage Corn Crops

  March 31, 2014 from Answers in Depth

  Resistant rootworms can ravage corn if farmers put all their eggs in a genetically modified high-tech basket.

• In-Depth Article

  Why Do Arms and Legs Come in Pairs?

  Feb. 15, 2014 from Answers in Depth

  You only have two arms and two legs because your gut got in the way, evolutionists say.

• Did We All Come from Adam and Eve?

  

  Dec. 19, 2013 from News to Know

  Have genetic discoveries broken the tie that binds us to Adam?

• DNA Day: What Are We Celebrating?

  April 25, 2013

  We’ve recently seen something of a bombardment of declared holidays and observances. In the midst of all these pseudo-holidays is one that has a particular relevance today: National DNA Day.

• Dairy Products Among Early Saharan Inhabitants

  July 7, 2012 from News to Know

  Dairy products prominent among early Saharan inhabitants.

• Ultrafast Parasite Evolution

  Feb. 25, 2012 from News to Know

  Bird parasite said to “evolve” rapidly while losing information.

• Cousin Fly

  Jan. 28, 2012 from News to Know

  Hox gene researchers sniff at a common ancestor.

• The RNA-Way From Molecules-to-Man Remains Muddled

  July 16, 2011

  The RNA-way from molecules-to-man remains mired by its complete lack of information.

• Are Genetic Mechanisms For Speciation Multiple Choice?

  July 2, 2011 from News to Know

  Speciation’s secrets are multiple-choice. What do phlox flowers, stickleback fish, monkeyflowers, and Bogota fruit flies have in common? They all suggest genetic mechanisms for speciation.

• Persistent Protein

  May 7, 2011 from News to Know

  Preservation of collagen fibers in a marine reptile fossil is said to prove “biomolecular preservation over deep time.”

• Increasing Organisms' Genetic Information

  Nov. 6, 2010

  Creationists often critique evolutionary theory as lacking a plausible mechanism for increasing organisms’ genetic information. But will University of California–Irvine research “shed light” in the void?

• Loss of Genetic Information Responsible for Evolution Leaps?

  June 26, 2010

  Could a loss of genetic information have been responsible for one of evolution’s supposed great leaps forward?

• Latest Genetics Battle

  June 5, 2010

  Genetics is a key battleground in the war between evolution and creation models for the origin and diversity of life. So which side wins the latest battle on the genetics front?

• Making the Evolution Pill Easier to Swallow

  Nov. 2, 2009

  Dr. Georgia Purdom attended a series of lectures titled “Your Genes and You: Health, Disease, and Medicine.” The title might better have been “Sleight of Hand.”

• Technical Research Paper

  The Natural History of Retroviruses

  Sept. 30, 2009 from Answers Research Journal

  Evolutionists assume that all endogenous retroviruses are remnants of germ line infection by exogenous retroviruses.

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• Technical In-Depth Article

  Gene Duplication

  April 30, 2008 from Answers in Depth

  Gene duplications followed by subsequent mutation of the duplicated genes are often cited by evolutionists as a mechanism for adding new information to the genome.

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• Technical In-Depth Article

  Unique Fungal RNA Splicing Mechanism Strikes a Blow Against Darwinian Evolution

  March 19, 2008 from Answers in Depth

  A recent study claimed to offer proof of the RNA-world hypothesis or the origin of life. The evidence, however, is greatly lacking.

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• Magazine Department Article

  The Language of Inconsistency

  Feb. 18, 2008 from Answers Magazine

  In his new book The Language of God, a famous scientist and evangelical has written the following about the human genome and science in general

• Semi-Technical In-Depth Article

  Ancient Protein “Resurrected”?

  Oct. 24, 2007 from Answers in Depth

  As Science Daily reports, “state-of-the-art computational and molecular techniques [were used] to re-create the ancient progenitors of an important human protein.”

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• From Organism to Organism: Gene Swapping

  June 30, 2007

  Scientists have altered one bacteria species into another by swapping bacterial genomes.

• DNA Transfer Utilized by Evolution?

  March 10, 2007

  Evolution is speeding up, according to a Rice University team studying a process known as horizontal gene transfer.