I Am Evolving Even As I Write This

The thing about evolution is that it's not obvious, no matter what the Richard Dawkinses of the world may think. Only a few animals have a complete fossil record of growth and change. More often, it seems as if species have flourished out of relative obscurity and then died out. Evolution as a process must take place relatively quickly, which doesn't make sense if we follow the original Darwinian theory. If evolution were a random process, based merely on "survival of the fittest," it would be extremely slow. The reason, I think, that Darwin retains so many staunch defenders is a) that he was mostly right, and b) that the alternative of the moment is, for all intents and purposes, biblical literalism, which won't wash with anyone with a vaguely scientific mind.

So what's the solution? For a long time, scientists have been proposing something called "punctuated equilibrium", which involves many changes taking place rapidly due to a sudden change in enviroment. However, this strikes me as mostly a case of verbal gymnastics, as it doesn't explain how species would be able to adapt quickly rather than just, you know, die. But yesterday news out of Princeton shed new light on the matter for me, and I'm sure many others as well.

Researchers were studying the electron transport chain in cells (this is the system that regulates energy use), and discovered that the chains were able to correct any artificial mutations imposed on them. They looked at how the chains did this, and found that they were making minute corrections all the time. Basically, organisms naturally make changes at the cellular level in order to better fit their environment, which makes them, hey, one of the fittest who gets to survive.

If this sounds like "intelligent design," that's because it is. But it's intelligent design by our own DNA, rather than some invisible person in the sky. What this really does is provide an explanation for how evolution works, rather than an alternate theory. Some more fascinating details can be found here.

Bits: Shark Jesus Edition

Pic courtesy of the-amazing.com

-According to NewScientist, Turkish creationist Adnan Oktar is offering $7.5 trillion dollars to anyone who can produce an intermediate-form fossil proving evolution. Um, haven't we already found those? I mean, the creationists have an argument ready against them, but we've already found, you know, fishes with legs. No sources have said where he would get that much money. Oktar recently sold 10,000 copies of a book denying evolution, and successfully campaigned to have Richard Dawkins' website banned in Turkey.

-San Francisco TV station KTVU reports that they're going to put a net under the Golden Gate bridge to prevent suicides. I'm trying to picture the thought process here... "You mean I can't jump off the Golden Gate? I'll have to use a less famous bridge, or maybe take a lot of pills? I dunno, maybe I'll just go on living then..."

-Shark Jesus! Scientists at an aquarium in Richmond, Virginia have reported that a female blacktip shark conceived without any male input... a virgin birth. The fetus was discovered during a necropsy on the mother shark after it had died of "complications." It contains no genetic material from a male. This is apparently not the first time this has happened, as there is much discussion in the linked article about "parthenogenesis," which apparently does not mean what Willow Rosenberg led me to believe it meant.

-In other news, the world economy continues its drain spiral. The Finance ministers from the G7 nations are meeting in Washington DC. Will they come up with a solution? Is the devil on the doorstep wearing galoshes?

-Alternative artist Banksy has opened an art installation in New York City that is a sort of insane magic pet store. I cannot make this stuff up. Make sure to watch the video with the dancing chicken nuggets, and the college-age girl wondering "Are they real?"

-Surprise! Not only does Life on Mars not suck, it got decent ratings last night. But not quite as decent as CBS' anti-science procedural (and yet another foreign remake) Eleventh Hour. "It's like that scary Fringe show, but safe and boring for old people!" I think that's actually their advertising campaign.

-Free TV on the Internet: Wednesday's episode of Bones, in my opinion the best procedural on TV, was about a murder in a tight-knit religious community on Chesapeake Bay. This brings out inherent conflicts among the characters, with Brennan getting lines like "You are all united by your shared superstition" and "Do these people believe in DNA?" Oh, yeah, it's called "The He in the She." Watch it here.