Latest Genetics Battle

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania studied a particular group of so-called “jumping” genes, a.k.a. transposons, which are sequences of DNA that move to different spots on the genome within a single cell. The researchers wondered how much the locations these genes “jump” to varies among individuals. The greater the variation, the more genetic diversity caused by jumping genes.

The greater the variation, the more genetic diversity caused by jumping genes.

The study determined that “there is much more diversity in our genome due to insertions by this family of transposons than previously thought,” said team member Haig Kazazian. “This movement of genetic material provides the raw material of genetic evolution, and it doesn’t take into account the insertions that we believe occur outside of the sperm and egg cells studied in this project.”

Kazazian’s reference to the “raw material of genetic evolution” is a reminder that, according to evolutionists, it is just these sorts of genetic accidents that occasionally lead to useful new functions, eventually leading to new types of organisms over millions of years. A news release on the research notes, “slight changes in genes help organisms adapt and survive in new environments” but adds “[i]nsertions into certain spots in the genome can also cause cell function to go awry.”

Notable is that the release also provides a list of specific disorders linked to mutations, but does not name specific benefits associated with genetic “accidents” such as jumping genes. While there are indeed some known benefits, these benefits are still linked with a corruption (a reduction) of genetic information—just ones that disable a function that is useless in a given environment. Thus, despite the research specifying one source of genetic diversity, evolutionists still lack empirical links between such genetic accidents and the hypothesized process that could turn fish into philosophers.

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